France announced on Wednesday it was sending a Charles de Gaulle warship to the Middle East to work more closely with the United States in a joint lead coalition in fighting against the Islamic State.
Following the terror attacks, for which Al Qaeda in Yemen have claimed responsibility, President Holland said the situation “justifies the presence of our aircraft carrier.”
France will send its Charles de Gaulle for a deployment until May at the earliest. The Charles de Gaulle carrier is the country’s first nuclear-powered surface vessel and the first and only nuclear-powered carrier constructed outside of the U.S. Navy.
The flagship of the country’s fleet, the Charles de Gaulle is currently the largest running warship in Western Europe. It carries 20-25 aircraft, including Rafale M multi-role fighter airfract, Super Entendard strike-fighter planes, and Aster missles.
“Thanks to the Charles de Gaulle we will have intelligence … we may also conduct operations in Iraq,” Hollande said in a speech aboard the carrier.
Despite the carrier’s anticipated arrival, France has already been conducting airstrikes in Iraq against the Islamic State.
French authorities also announced that 54 people had been arrested for hate speech and for defending terrorism in the last week due to a crackdown on hate speech, particularly speech pertaining to the glorification of terrorism and anti-semitism.
