French fighter jets strike IS targets in Iraq

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) French planes struck new Islamic State (IS) targets north of Baghdad during an operation to back Iraqi ground forces deployed in the region of Tikrit, the defense ministry said Monday.

During a reconnaissance mission in Tikrit, 200 km north of Baghdad, two Rafale fighter jets destroyed two trucks of the so-called “Daesh group,” the ministry said in a statement.

The French strike was the third such operation since France joined the U.S.-led coalition to crack down on Islamist fighters and help restore security and peace in Iraq.

Paris refused to deploy ground troops in Iraq, however.

France has mobilized nine fighter jets and tanker aircraft to help destroy IS targets, according to the ministry.

IS fighters seized a third of Iraqi territory and major cities in Syria, displacing thousands of people and putting the region’s stability at risk. /End/