PARIS, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Defense chiefs of international coalition against the Islamic State (IS) during a meeting here on Tuesday vowed to intensify the fight by putting on track a military offensive to retake Reqqa, IS bastion in Syria.
"Daesh (the Islamic State) did not fall but it is weakened. Now, there is a need to increase our effort," said French Defense Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian.
Le Drian added that operation to uproot IS insurgents in Iraq's second largest city "was held to our planning."
With the support of the U.S.-led coalition, Iraqi army and Kurdish Peshmerga launched a military offensive to eradicate IS fighters.
They have retaken about 90 villages and towns around Mosul held by Daesh so far, according to media reports.
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