Germany could send 1,200 to support fight against Islamic State

Germany could send 1,200 soldiers to the Middle East by the end of the year to support a coalition battling Islamic State, Germany’s top defence official has told a newspaper.

Chancellor Angela Merkel also promised to support the offensive against IS during talks with French president François Hollande, who called for more countries to help fight the militants after the November 13 attacks in Paris.

Ursula von der Leyen, Germany’s defence minister, called for the alliance for a limited time to combat the militants in a commentary in an advance copy of the Bild newspaper due out today.