法国国防部长德里安星期四说,消灭伊斯兰国恐怖组织的“条件正在形成”。

德里安表示,他第一次对此感到乐观。

法国是美国领导的联盟成员,对伊拉克和叙利亚境内的伊斯兰国目标进行空中打击;与此同时,当地的武装力量和其他友盟团体则在地面与激进分子展开战斗。

德里安说,自2014年以来,伊斯兰国控制的地区缩小了30%至40%。他强调指出,联盟的目标是在年底之前将激进分子赶出伊拉克北部城市摩苏尔和叙利亚城市拉卡。拉卡是伊斯兰国指挥中心的所在地。

美国总统奥巴马星期一说,他预计到今年年底,最终收复摩苏尔的条件就会成熟。

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Thursday “conditions are coming together” to eradicate the Islamic State group.

He said that for the first time he is optimistic.

France is part of the U.S.-led coalition carrying out airstrikes against Islamic State targets in both Iraq and Syria, while local forces and allied groups fight the militants on the ground.

Le Drian said Islamic State has lost 30 to 40 percent of its territory since June 2014. He also highlighted the coalition’s goal of pushing the militants out of Iraq’s northern city of Mosul and the group’s de facto capital in Raqqa, Syria by the end of the year.

U.S. President Barack Obama said Monday that his expectation for the end of 2016 is that conditions will be in place for the eventual recapture of Mosul.