France strikes Isil's depot in Iraq

France's airstrike in Iraq Friday morning 'entirely destroyed' a logistics depot held by Isil: Hollande's office

Last updated:
2 MIN READ
1.1387163-655013767
AFP
AFP

Syria: Joining US forces acting in Iraqi skies, France conducted its first airstrike Friday against the militant Islamic State group, destroying a logistics depot that it controlled, the French presidency said.
 
Rafale fighter jets involved in the mission struck the depot in northeastern Iraq on Friday morning, and the target was "entirely destroyed," President Francois Hollande's office said in a statement.
 
"Other operations will follow in the coming days," the statement said, without elaborating on the type of material at the depot or its exact location.
 
With the strike, France becomes the first foreign country to publicly add military muscle to United States airstrikes against the group, which has drawn criticism around the world and in a unanimous UN Security Council resolution for its barbarity.
 
US airstrikes

US Central Command said Thursday the US military has conducted 176 airstrikes in Iraq since Aug. 8. On Wednesday, it hit a militant training camp southeast of Mosul and an ammunition stockpile southeast of Baghdad.

It has also conducted a number of strikes this week in Iraq's Anbar province, near the strategic Haditha Dam.
 
The French airstrike took place while US Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was in France for meetings with his counterpart, Gen. Pierre de Villiers. The two men were visiting an American military cemetery in Normandy, on the English Channel, when the French strike took place.
 
Dempsey, who was told of the attack by de Villiers, praised the French action, saying it hit a target north of Mosul.

He did not specify.
 
"The French were our very first ally and they are there again for us," Dempsey told reporters traveling with him in Normandy. "It just reminds me why these relationships really matter."
 
At a news conference a day earlier, Hollande said France had agreed to "soon" conduct airstrikes requested by Iraq to bolster its fight against the militants who have captured swaths of the country.
 
He stressed that France wouldn't go beyond airstrikes in support of the Iraqi military or Kurdish Peshmerga forces, and wouldn't attack targets in Syria, where the Islamic State group has also captured territory.
 
French jets on Monday began flying reconnaissance missions over Iraq involving Rafales and an ATL2 surveillance plane, military spokesman Col. Gilles Jaron said.

Two French Rafale fighter jets fly in formation during a mission from Al-Dhafra airbase on September 18, 2014 in this handout image provided by ECPAD. Picture taken September 18, 2014.
A handout picture taken and released on September 19, 2014 by ECPAD shows a French pilot aboard a Rafale fighter jet while a second aircraft is refueling during a mission over Iraq.
A file picture taken on September 15, 2014 shows French military support staff walking towards a Rafale fighter jet during at Al-Dhafra base. French jets carried out their first air strike against Islamic State militants in Iraq on September 19, 2014, successfully destroying their target, President Francois Hollande announced, vowing that more operations would follow. France has six Rafale fighter jets and just under 1,000 soldiers based in the Gulf and could even mobilise an aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle.
French President Francois Hollande waits for questions during a press conference at the Elysee Palace, Thursday, Sept.18, 2014. Hollande said he agreed to Iraq's request for air support at a meeting of his top defense and security advisers earlier Thursday.
A handout picture taken and released on September 19, 2014 by ECPAD shows an Atlantic II military aircraft at the Al-Dhafra base in the United Arab Emirates before a mission over Iraq. France has six Rafale fighter jets and just under 1,000 soldiers based in the United Arab Emirates and could even mobilise an aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle.

Sign up for the Daily Briefing

Get the latest news and updates straight to your inbox