France is sending its largest warship to join operations against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq. Its involvement in the campaign will shorten the time it takes for French jets to carry out airstrikes. France has been targeting IS in Iraq as part of the US-led coalition since September 2014. In September this year, French forces began airstrikes in Syria. The Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier has already been deployed against IS. France is currently using six Mirage jets stationed in Jordan and six Rafale jets in the UAE to target IS, BBC reported. French President Francois Hollande described the deployment as “a rational choice” that would “allow us to be more efficient in coordination with our allies”. French officials have described the airstrikes on IS as self defense, after Islamist gunmen killed 17 people in twin attacks in Paris at the start of the year. Since that time, French fighter jets have carried out 271 strikes in 1,285 aerial missions across Iraq, AFP reported.
