A French aircraft carrier has been deployed in the Persian Gulf, in an effort to add to the US-led military campaign against the Islamic State group in Iraq, according to a French defense ministry official, media reports said.
"The integration of the Charles de Gaulle in the operation in Iraq begins this morning," the official said.
The aircraft carrier left its base in Toulon last month for a five-month mission that will see the vessel working alongside the USS Carl Vinson in the Persian Gulf as part of the anti-ISIL coalition.
After that, the French carrier will travel to India, where it will take part in military drills slated for mid-April.
