PARIS, January 15 (Sputnik) — France’s only aircraft carrier in service Charles de Gaulle can be used for military operations against the Islamic State in Iraq, the country's President Francois Hollande stated.
Last week, the local Mer et Marine military news site reported that the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier would be deployed in the Persian Gulf on its way to India, where it is set to take part in military drills in April.
An international coalition, led by the United States, has been carrying out airstrikes against the (IS) in Iraq since August 2014, expanding the attacks to include IS targets in Syria in September. The extremist group has seized vast territories in both countries and declared a caliphate on the areas under its control, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.
The first French airstrikes against IS were carried out in Iraq in mid-September.
