France bombs ISIS stronghold in Syria.

(Baonghean.vn) – In the latest announcement, the French Minister of Defense declared that France had carried out “a series of airstrikes” targeting the IS stronghold in Rakka.

On the evening of November 15th, 10 French fighter jets launched a series of bombs against an ISIS stronghold in Rakka, Syria. Twelve aircraft, including 10 fighter jets, took off from military bases in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Jordan.

French fighter jets sortie targeting an IS stronghold. Photo: Internet.

Currently, France has six Rafale and six Mirage 2000 aircraft stationed in the two aforementioned countries. Furthermore, the French Ministry of Defence stated that the airstrikes on the night of November 15th were also coordinated with the US military.

A spokesperson for the French Ministry of Defence said:

“The first target destroyed by Daech (the Arabic acronym for IS) was considered to be a command center, recruiting jihadist members, and supplying money and weapons and ammunition. The second target was a terrorist training camp.”

Also on November 15, Secretary of Defense Jean Yves Le Drian and his US counterpart Ashton Carter spoke by phone and agreed to enhance the sharing of intelligence information between the two sides.

Jean Yves Le Drian emphasized, "We are working together to further intensify the airstrikes." This is seen as a "turning point" since the West began its attacks against IS in Syria and Iraq.

Paris is known to be one of the members of the US-led coalition against IS in Iraq. France first conducted airstrikes in Syria on September 27, 2015.

Prior to that, President Hollande had only conducted military operations in Iraq. Hollande changed his stance on "self-defense" against ISIS – who were "preparing attacks against France from Syria."

On October 9, 2015, French airstrikes targeted one of the training camps for foreign jihadists in Rakka – the main headquarters of IS in Syria. Following the airstrike, Defense Minister Jean Yves Le Drian announced the completion of the objectives.

Up to this point, the French government has deployed only two Rafale aircraft to carry out the bombing missions.

Chu Thanh

(According to Le Monde)