PARIS — A majority of French people are in favor of sending troops to fight Islamic State militants in Syria, a prospect that President Francois Hollande has flatly ruled out, a poll released Sunday showed.
Some 56 percent of those questioned were in favor of a ground intervention as part of an international coalition, according to an Ifop poll for Sunday newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche.
France began reconnaissance missions over Syria last week in preparation for a decision on whether to launch airstrikes against Islamic State militants.
Until now, France has only taken part in airstrikes against Islamic State in Iraq over concerns that strikes against the group in Syria could boost Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whom Paris says must leave power.
French President Francois Hollande last week ruled out any ground intervention in Syria, saying it was up to Syrians and regional states to do the work on the ground.
But senior government minister Segolene Royal, who is charge of the energy and environment portfolios, refused to entirely close the door to sending ground troops.
“The question of sending ground troops is not yet on the table … but obviously nothing is taboo,” Royal said on RTL radio.
The poll was conducted by telephone Sept. 11-12 among 1,005 people over the age of 18 and had a margin of error of 1.8 percent.