UPDATE - France’s Hollande in Baghdad to discuss anti-Daesh ops

*UPDATES WITH HOLLANDE STATEMENTS

By Muayad al-Tarfi

BAGHDAD (AA) - French President Francois Hollande arrived in Iraqi capital Baghdad on Monday to discuss the ongoing fight against terrorism with leading Iraqi officials.

At a press conference held with Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, Hollande declared that the Iraqi army’s ongoing campaign to recapture the city of Mosul from Daesh would ultimately be won by the former.

The city’s liberation, he said, "will take weeks, not years".

"Mosul’s recapture should be followed by a period of comprehensive national reconciliation in Iraq and the reconstruction and rehabilitation of destroyed areas," Hollande asserted.

"What is happening now in Iraq and Syria influences the security situation in Europe," the French president stressed.

He added: "There are Jihadists from France who are also fighting with Daesh; we will fight them the same as we do Daesh itself."

With regard to the situation in Syria, Hollande expressed hopes of seeing a post-war government in Syria "that includes Syrians from across the political spectrum".

It remains unclear how long Hollande intends to stay in Baghdad.

While in Iraq, the French president is also expected to visit a 500-strong French military contingent that is supporting ongoing anti-Daesh operations in Mosul.

The Iraqi military is currently engaged in a major offensive aimed at ousting Daesh from Mosul, which the terrorist group overran in 2014.

France is a member of a U.S.-led coalition which since 2014 has been pounding Daesh positions in both Iraq and Syria.