French jets join anti-IS coalition in Iraq

A French defense official confirmed on Friday that eight jets have taken off from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier in the eastern Mediterranean.

The aircraft will join the US-led coalition fighting "Islamic State" (IS) as it prepares to try to take back the Iraqi city of Mosul. It was not immediately clear whether the French jets were to carry out airstrikes or were on a reconnaissance mission.

A French defense official said, however, that Friday's mission "in no way" constitutes the beginning of the battle for Mosul.

IS seized Mosul along with other areas in June 2014, but Iraqi forces have since regained significant ground from the jihadists and are readying for an assault to retake Iraq's second-largest city with coalition air and artillery support.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has warned, however, that the siege could last months and displace hundreds of thousands of people.

According to a French military statement, French planes have flown 32 missions over the past week, destroying four targets in the process.

Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the aircraft carrier's latest mission is planned to end in late October.

The French military first started targeting IS in Iraq two years ago and last year expanded its airstrikes to IS targets in Syria. A terrorist attack in Nice in July, which left 86 people dead, prompted French President Hollande to order an artillery battery to be sent to Iraq to strengthen the US-led operation there. 

ksb/kl (AFP, AP)