Latest Politics News and Updates: France Conducts Its First Airstrikes Against ISIS in Iraq

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Europe |France Conducts Its First Airstrikes Against ISIS in Iraq

http://nyti.ms/1r6va5T

PARIS â€” French fighter jets embarked on their first airstrikes against militants of the Islamic State, President FranÃ§ois Hollande said Friday, one day after he pledged to join the United States in its air war against the group in Iraq.

Rafale planes strucka logistics depot belonging to the Islamic State, also known by the acronyms ISIS and ISIL, in northeastern Iraq, Mr. Hollande said in a statement. "The objective was hit and entirely destroyed,â€ the statement said.

Mr. Hollande said other operations would take place in the coming days.

Remarking on the violent tactics employed by the Sunni militants, who have conquered wide swaths territory in Iraq and Syria, Mr. Hollande said Thursday at a news conference in Paris that the group had been able to grow partly because the international community had failed to intervene. But he emphasized that Franceâ€™s role would be limited to providing air support, including strikes, in Iraq.

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He indicated that France would not expand its mission into Syria, and French officials have made it clear that the government does not want to give the impression that it supports the Syrian government, led by President Bashar al-Assad.