France Launches Airstrikes on Islamic State Stronghold in Syria
After Friday night's Islamic State-claimed terror attacks in Paris, French President Francois Hollande vowed that retaliation would be swift and forceful. By Sunday evening, he had taken action.
This video still from footage released Sunday by France's Ministry of Defense shows French aircraft departing for Raqqa, Syria. (BBC)
After Friday night’s terror attacks in Paris, for which Islamic State claimed responsibility, French President Francois Hollande vowed that retaliation would be swift and forceful. By Sunday evening, he had taken action.
Just two days after the multipronged assault on the French capital, Hollande launched airstrikes on Raqqa, Syria. The BBC brought details after the French Ministry of Defense released video footage showing military aircraft setting out on the mission:
Ten fighter jets operating out of French bases in Jordan and the UAE dropped 20 guided bombs on a command centre, recruitment centre for jihadists, a munitions depot and a training camp for fighters, the ministry said.
The attack was carried out in co-ordination with US forces.
Despite the cautionary tone taken by some analysts who warn that engaging in a full-blown war with Islamic State would play into the Islamist organization’s larger scheme, Hollande opted to increase France’s military involvement in Islamic State’s claimed territory.
The BBC also reported that French authorities were engaged in a hunt for Salah Abdeslam, 26, believed to be one of the perpetrators of Friday’s attacks that killed at least 129 people and injured at least 350.
–Posted by Kasia Anderson
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