The Fight Against ISIS: France Deploys Charles De Gaulle Aircraft Carrier To

France will deploy an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf to assist the fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

The deployment of the French carrier would be accompanied by an attack submarine, several frigates and a refueling ship, the normal procedure in the deployment of the Charles de Gaulle warship. Its association in the battle will abbreviate the time it takes for French planes to do air strikes.

It was the first country to join the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq and has also provided limited logistical support to Syrian rebels it considers moderate, including Kurds. France is now targeting the ISIS with six Mirage jets stationed in Jordan and six Rafale jets in the United Arab Emirates, according to the BBC. In September this year French strengths started air strikes in Syria. The French President, Francois Hollande, portrayed the arrangement as “an objective decision” which would “permit us to be more proficient in a joint effort with our associates”. It can carry up to 40 fixed wing aircraft and helicopters.

The Charles de Gaulle is the largest warship in western Europe and the only nuclear-powered aircraft carrier outside the US fleet.

Since beginning operations in Iraq, French fighter jets have carried out 1,285 aerial missions, resulting in 271 strikes and the destruction of 459 targets.