France Sending Aircraft Carrier to Fight ISIL in Syria

The aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle will set sail for the shores of Syria on Thursday, French President Francois Hollande said during a rare address to the congress of the National Assembly and the Senate in Versailles.

"The sponsors of the attack in Paris must know that their crimes further strengthen the determination of France to fight and to destroy them," Hollande said.

He vowed to increase France’s participation in the ongoing battle against ISIL in Syria, naming that country as "the largest terrorist factory the world has ever known."

Hollande also called for a united and strong anti-ISIL coalition, saying that he will meet with the US and Russian leaders to discuss coordinating their efforts in the struggle against the Islamic State.

"We are not in a war of civilizations. These assassins don’t represent a civilization. We are at war with jihadist terrorism which threatens the whole of the world and not only France," he declared.

Hollande also said that he would formally request the parliament to extend the state of emergency declared in the aftermath of the attacks in Paris for three months.