Charlie Hebdo to publish Mohammad cartoon on front page

GUN BATTLE

Three days of violence ended on Friday with a siege at a Jewish deli in Paris where four hostages and a gunman were killed. Shortly before, police killed the Hebdo attackers in a gun battle at a print works northwest of the city.

In the wake of the violence, Defence Minister Jean-Yves LeDrian said 10,000 troops were being deployed at sensitive sites including synagogues, mosques and airports.

Hollande's government has avoided referring to the Maghreband African roots of the three killers. It has also sought to discredit their claim to be acting in the name of Islam, calling them "fanatics".

However, France's Islamic council called on the government to step up protection of mosques, saying that at least 50 anti-Islamic acts had been reported since the attack.

Abdallah Zekri, head of the National Observatory against Islamophobia, said Muslim sites such as Paris's main mosque were not getting the same level of security as Jewish synagogues and schools.

"There are websites out there calling for the murder of Muslim leaders and the torching of Muslim religious sites," he told France Info. "Let's stop the double standards."

European leaders are worried that the events in France will add to rising anti-immigrant sentiment in Europe.

On Monday, a record 25,000 anti-Islamist protesters marched through the German city of Dresden, many holding banners with anti-immigrant slogans.

In light of the threat, Le Drian said the government would need to review some of its military capabilities, including the role of the army reserves.

He also raised the prospect of reconsidering the severely strained military budget when its long-term spending plan comes up for review later this year in parliament.

The French government was due to seek parliament's approval for France's participation in air raids against Islamic State in Iraq. One of last week's killers cited France's military strikes against Muslims as a motivation for his acts.

"The response is inside and outside France. Islamic State is a terrorist army with fighters from everywhere ... it is an international army that has to be wiped out and that is why we are part of the coalition," Le Drian told Europe 1 radio.

Under French law, the president can launch foreign military action, but must seek parliament's approval four months into an operation if it is to continue.　　

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