France to form National Guard to help fight terror
Shares
PARIS: (APP) President Francois Hollande on Thursday confirmed plans to set up a National Guard drawn from existing reserves to help security forces combat terror attacks on French soil.
A "defence council" to be held early next month will hammer out the force's hierarchy and command structure, Hollande's office said in a statement.
Parliamentary consultations will follow in September in the hope that "this force can be created as fast as possible to protect the French".
The announcement came after France suffered two attacks in less than a fortnight this month -- in a bloody series that began with the January 2015.
Calls arose for the National Guard following the November 13 massacre in Paris that claimed 130 lives.
The president said he hopes the guard, made up of volunteers from the police, paramilitary police and military, will be operational by early autumn.
Hollande had previously considered boosting existing reserves among the three groups.
