France to deploy aircraft carrier to Middle East

PARIS

France will deploy its Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to the Middle East to back its military operations in the region, President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday.

The nuclear aircraft carrier will be deployed to support Chammal operations until April, Macron said at a New Year speech to the French military in the city of Orleans.

It will also be used in joint operations with European countries, he said, highlighting the increasing threat of Daesh/ISIS.

Following Daesh/ISIS-linked terrorist attacks that killed 130 people in Paris in 2015, the Charles de Gaulle, with an air wing that typically includes 24 Rafale fighter jets, was deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean. The ship was sent to the South China Sea last year.

France launched the Chammal Operation on Sep.19, 2014 in a bid to counter the expansion of Daesh/ISIS and support the Iraqi army and the coalition. The operation was later expanded to include the Daesh/ISIS threat in Syria.