France to deploy warship to Mideast: Paris

The French government says it plans to send a flagship aircraft carrier for boosting the operations that are purported to target Takfiri Daesh terrorists in Iraq and Syria.

France’s presidency said in a statement on Thursday that the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier will be deployed to support the US-led coalition purportedly fighting Daesh.

“The deployment of the battle group alongside the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier has been decided to participate in operations against Daesh and its affiliate groups,” the statement said, without providing any details about the planned location of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

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.

Starting from February, the vessel was deployed for two months in the Persian Gulf, where it allegedly launched strikes against Daesh in Iraq. The warship then returned to its base in the French port of Toulon.

France is part of an international coalition led by the United States that claims to be fighting Daesh in Iraq and Syria. For months, the coalition fighter jets have launched airstrikes against what are said to be the positions of the Takfiri group in the two Arab countries. No tangible results have been reported on the ground, though.

France has been a strong supporter of the militant groups – among them Daesh – that are fighting the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The statement by the French government also said that Paris will continue to support efforts aimed at finding a political solution in Syria, although it repeated the Western position that President Assad must step down.

Russia, along with some other governments, has warned that only Syrians are to decide on the political future of Syria. Russia is carrying out airstrikes of its own on Daesh in Syria.

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