France Sending Artillery, Aircraft Carrier to Join Fight against ISIL in Mosul

Rasa - France's military announced it would deploy artillery forces and an aircraft carrier to support Iraqi security forces in their fight for the city of Mosul against the ISIL terror group.

News ID: 423755

Date: 21 September 2016 - 13:24

RNA - "We decided to bolster our support of the Iraqi forces this autumn, with the aim of recapturing Mosul," French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said during a meeting of military officials in Paris, UPI reported.

Le Drian also said the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier "will leave for the Middle East soon." France was the first nation to join the United States in carrying out airstrikes against the ISIL in 2014.

The French military has also supported the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, recently delivering missiles, ammunition, hand grenades and other equipment to the Kurdish forces.

The ISIL launched an attack in Paris in November in which 130 people were killed. Previously, the attacks carried out in the name of the ISIL targeting French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a supermarket in January 2015 killed 17 people.

Iraqi security forces launched an offensive to retake the city of Mosul from the ISIL in March, supported by US-led coalition airstrikes.

Mosul is considered one of the most important battles in the fight against the ISIL in Iraq. US President Barack Obama said he expects the city of Mosul to be retaken by the Iraqi government by the end of the year.

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