France creates National Guard against terrorism.

Sputnik - French President François Hollande has decided to create the National Guard, using existing operational reserves, according to a statement released by the Élysée Palace on Thursday (28).

The French president announced plans to create a new security force, the National Guard, to protect the country's citizens in the face of the growing threat of terrorism on French soil.

According to the document, the decision was made after Hollande's meeting with lawmakers.

"The President of the Republic [Hollande] has decided to create the National Guard from existing operational reserves," the statement said. He also expressed his intention to "begin the creation of this structure as quickly as possible, which will serve to protect the French people."

The president will inform the French Defense Council and Security Council about the initiative in early August, while the same proposal will be analyzed in parliamentary committees in September, according to the statement.

France has recently been hit by a series of terrorist attacks. On the night of July 14-15, 2016, in the French city of Nice, a truck ran over a crowd of people who had come to watch fireworks in honor of France's national holiday – Bastille Day.

The vehicle continued rolling people around for two kilometers until the police shot the driver.

The attack killed 84 people, including 10 children, and injured another 200.

The attacker was identified as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a 31-year-old French citizen of Tunisian origin, who was going through a divorce and had no known links to terrorism.

Later, French leader François Hollande declared an extension of the state of emergency in the country.