France carried out over a thousand airstrikes in Syria, Iraq

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – French fighter jets have carried out up to 600 airstrikes in Mosul against the Islamic State (IS) as part of their contribution to the anti-IS coalition’s efforts, reported a spokesperson for the French army.

In total, since France joined the anti-IS coalition’s efforts against the extremist group in Sept. 2014, they carried out 1,307 airstrikes in Iraq and Syria.

The US-led coalition has carried out more than 22,670 airstrikes in Iraq and 9,675 in Syria, according to the Pentagon.

“First, we prepped for the battle to liberate Mosul and support Iraqi security forces, surrounding the city and cutting off reinforcements that could come from elsewhere: 300 French strikes contributed to this initial success,” stated French Col. Patrick Steiger during a press conference.

“During the second phase, which allows us to confidently talk about the liberation of Mosul, another 300 air strikes and 1,200 ground artillery strikes were carried out,” he added.

In addition to its fighter jets in Jordan and the Emirates, and its Caesar cannons placed around Iraq's second largest city, France committed its Charles-de-Gaulle aircraft carrier to eastern Mediterranean missions from Sept. to Dec. 2016.

Between 28 June and 4 July, French planes carried out an additional four strikes in Mosul and another four in Raqqa, the two remaining IS strongholds in Iraq and Syria respectively.