What French have been doing against Islamic State in Syria

[rooster59]

What French have been doing against Islamic State in Syria

CARA ANNA, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The Islamic State group on Saturday expressed fury at France's recently launched airstrikes against it in Syria as it claimed responsibility for Friday's attacks in Paris. The airstrikes have hit training camps and reflect France's fears that hundreds of French fighters in Syria and Iraq could return home and, as President Francois Hollande put it last month, "plant bombs in our country."

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Saturday told French television TF1 that France's fight in Syria will continue.

Many details about Friday's attacks remain unclear, including how long the coordinated assault had been planned.

Here is a look at recent French action in Syria:

NEW AIRSTRIKES TARGET CAMPS, OIL FACILITIES

The Paris attack comes less than a week after France's military said a French airstrike had targeted an oil distribution center in Syria controlled by Islamic State militants in an attempt to cut a crucial source of the group's funding.

The Islamic State's online statement Saturday on the Paris attacks specifically mentioned France's airstrike campaign, launched less than two months ago.

"The stench of death will not leave their noses as long as they remain at the forefront of the Crusaders' campaign, dare to curse our prophet, boast of a war on Islam in France, and strike Muslims in the lands of the caliphate with warplanes," the statement said.

France joined the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State group in Iraq last year and expanded its campaign to Syria in late September, starting with a five-hour attack by jet fighters on a training camp in the eastern part of the country.

In announcing the strikes on Sept. 27, Hollande told reporters that the strikes, and others to come, were aimed at "protecting our territory, cutting short terrorist actions, acting in legitimate defense."

AIRCRAFT CARRIER NOW BEING DEPLOYED

Also this month, Hollande announced that France will deploy an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf to assist in the fight against the Islamic State group in both Iraq and Syria.

He didn't say when the carrier, which will boost the air power of the U.S.-led coalition conducting airstrikes, will leave the French Mediterranean port of Toulon.

France already has 12 jet fighters based in the United Arab Emirates and Jordan involved in the operations. Two of the Jordan-based jets carried out the Nov. 8 strike against the oil distribution center controlled by the Islamic State group near Deir ez-Zor, in eastern Syria.

The French government has insisted that while it is part of the U.S.-led coalition, France is deciding independently who and what to hit in Syria.

600 FRENCH NATIONALS ESTIMATED IN SYRIA, IRAQ

In an interview last month with French broadcaster RTL, Hollande acknowledged French airstrikes on other Islamic State camps in Raqqa, the capital of IS' self-proclaimed caliphate, and elsewhere in Syria, saying "there are terrorists training to lead the fight in Syria but can also plant bombs in our country."

He repeated his government's estimate that there are 600 French nationals in the "combat zones" in Syria and Iraq who could return to France with the potential to carry out attacks at home.

FRANCE'S TOUGH LINE ON ASSAD

Until launching the airstrike campaign, France had held back on engaging in Syria, citing concern over playing into Syrian President Bashar Assad's hand and the need for such action to be covered by international law.

But Hollande on Sept. 7 announced France's intention to start airstrikes in Syria, days after the photo of a dead 3-year-old Syrian boy on a Turkish beach galvanized concern about Syrian refugees fleeing to save their lives.

In addition to the military moves, France has remained insistent that Assad must go — a stronger stance than that of the United States, which recently has tamped down demands for Assad's quick departure.

"The future of Syria cannot (include President) Bashar Assad," Hollande said in announcing France's airstrike campaign.

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-11-15

[ezzra]

For France now, the gloves has to come off, those PC, liberal, hesitation gloves has to be put a aside and put

on the boxing gloves with led in them, .. put away your French scented cup of coffee and the fresh brioche,

and start killing those cockroaches where ever they are, yes... revenge, the only language those barbarian, blood

thirsty savages understand and fear off.. but knowing France, nothing will come out of it, as they're afraid shitless

from the millions of Muslims the have in their midst already and what they will to in returnee...

[simple1]

For France now, the gloves has to come off, those PC, liberal, hesitation gloves has to be put a aside and put

on the boxing gloves with led in them, .. put away your French scented cup of coffee and the fresh brioche,

and start killing those cockroaches where ever they are, yes... revenge, the only language those barbarian, blood

thirsty savages understand and fear off.. but knowing France, nothing will come out of it, as they're afraid shitless

from the millions of Muslims the have in their midst already and what they will to in returnee...

Apparently you have no knowledge of the successful French intervention in Mali against Islamist forces, their bombing campaign in Iraq for the past year & shortly commencement in Syria, planned prior to the attacks in Paris.

Others extremists like you vilifying the French nation at this time really need to take a long look in the mirror and ask yourselves, am I being constructive.

Edited November 15, 2015 by simple1

[car720]

Why don't they send in the foreign legion.

Arguably the best fighting force in the world for this type of conflict.

[dageurreotype]

Soon after the bombing of Syria a local artist (who had appeared on Thailand's Got Talent hint hint) took to wearing full Muslim garb instead of his usual jeans and tee shirt and his wife dressed in the niqab. That didn't last long in my truly moderate Muslim community here on Phuket. Perversely, it appears those less exposed to Western media here appear to take a dimmer view than the educated artist and his wife. The same cannot of course be said for the South, but their's is a territorial dispute over any ideology. My point being is that often Islam is being used as an excuse for the abject barbarism by the minority of psychopaths currently proliferating in the Western countries who have given them succor. After all, their (the leaders') hubris had not learned the lessons of one culture stuck in the stone age blindly being invaded, attacked and then welcomed into their midst! Beggars belief. I sincerely hold the European leaders, having swallowed the US's insane PC hook line and sinker, have the blood of the Parisian victims on their hands.

[Boatfreak]

Did you really expect you could bomb a country without any reaction? You keep bombing them they will keep bombing you, very good for the weapon industry, the big winners of this disaster.

[simple1]

Why don't they send in the foreign legion.

Arguably the best fighting force in the world for this type of conflict.

My amateur 2 cents worth...

IMO a reasonable question. Without kicking off another long debate Western governments are at this time not prepared to commit combat ground forces. The justification often used is the territory held by Daesh is designated as "ungoverned", at this stage all the balance of power players cannot agree on what political body or whom would be an acceptable governing body for control of regained territory in Syria, rebuilding infrastructure & on on. Most do not want the Assad dictatorship and militias to take over, among a number of reasons, could lead to ethnic cleansing of the local Sunnis, thereby expanding the conflict. I guess NATO could invoke the collective defense clause, but at what risk with local Russian forces defending Assad's interests.

http://www.ibtimes.com/paris-terror-attacks-france-could-invoke-nato-collective-defense-clause-2184963

Edited November 15, 2015 by simple1

[rocketman777]

Reap what you sow. Cameron needs to take note of this and stop interfering in the Middle East

[teelac5]

I still can't understand why they keep calling for Assad to go isn't clear that he has kept this rabble in check, ok so they accuse him of financing a bit of terrorism and mass murder but what do they think the rebels, that the west is arming, are gonna do if they get in power. We trained and armed the Mujaheddin and they turned into Al-Qeada, We killed the dictator Sadam and now many of his forces are IS. We armed Lybian rebels to overthrow Gaddafi and now many of them are loyal to IS. Isn't it clear yet that we can't push our idealistic democratic views on these people it clearly doesn't work in their society, they need dictators to rule in order to control and keep the beasts down. The stupid governments in the west have created IS and now we the people are gonna pay severely for it, its pretty much guaranteed that in 50 yrs if you're not Muslim then you'll be executed.

[sirineou]

The nerve of some people

you bomb them and they retaliate,what is wrong with them?

When engaged in Regime change it requires that you have a more desirable regime to exchange it with the one you want to change

we went in, we removed or incapacitated undesirable regimes with no desirable regimes to replace them with, and the vacuum is filled with even more undesirable characters.

Now we pay the price,

Actually it is the innocent people in the streets that pay the price, while the fat cats that profited from the "Regime change" laugh all the way to the bank

​Where was the outcry when innocent people die by the thousands in the streets of Iraq and elsewhere? hundreds of people die in individual acts of terrorism there and it barely makes the news ,

when it happens to us we go in to shock, Are white lives more valuable than brown?

I have more to say but prudence prevents me

Non the less as a parent, a brother, and a husband my self, I feel the pain of those that lost loved ones , brown or white.

My sincerest sympathies to all

Edited November 15, 2015 by sirineou

[Tom Cahill]

I still can't understand why they keep calling for Assad to go isn't clear that he has kept this rabble in check, ok so they accuse him of financing a bit of terrorism and mass murder but what do they think the rebels, that the west is arming, are gonna do if they get in power. We trained and armed the Mujaheddin and they turned into Al-Qeada, We killed the dictator Sadam and now many of his forces are IS. We armed Lybian rebels to overthrow Gaddafi and now many of them are loyal to IS. Isn't it clear yet that we can't push our idealistic democratic views on these people it clearly doesn't work in their society, they need dictators to rule in order to control and keep the beasts down. The stupid governments in the west have created IS and now we the people are gonna pay severely for it, its pretty much guaranteed that in 50 yrs if you're not Muslim then you'll be executed.

Democratic how?

Who voted for anyone who'd support any of these non declared, criminal wars on sovereign states in ANY Western country? Democracy's a scam. It's worse than more top heavy leadership models as it totally confuses accountability and makes it impossible to replace the real leadership. Look at what Hitler had to say about this collossal scam. My mind's not made up on him, whether he was good, or just pretending to be. Obviously in the West we're not even allowed to know about what he did or didn't do or for who he was doing it really any more, but even if his speeches were rhetoric, they ARE an honest account of the situation and the problem---which is democracy, and what a total scam it is.

I can't believe anyone believes that this thing in France is genuinely the work of anyone other than the admitted orchestrators of Gladio. It totally beggars belief. When you can admit your modus operandi on the TV in detail and no one thinks you'll do it again, is what totally amazes me.

[car720]

Why don't they send in the foreign legion.

Arguably the best fighting force in the world for this type of conflict.

My amateur 2 cents worth...

IMO a reasonable question. Without kicking off another long debate Western governments are at this time not prepared to commit combat ground forces. The justification often used is the territory held by Daesh is designated as "ungoverned", at this stage all the balance of power players cannot agree on what political body or whom would be an acceptable governing body for control of regained territory in Syria, rebuilding infrastructure & on on. Most do not want the Assad dictatorship and militias to take over, among a number of reasons, could lead to ethnic cleansing of the local Sunnis, thereby expanding the conflict. I guess NATO could invoke the collective defense clause, but at what risk with local Russian forces defending Assad's interests.

http://www.ibtimes.com/paris-terror-attacks-france-could-invoke-nato-collective-defense-clause-2184963

Sure, let the diplomats have their talk fests and work on local governance. I am all for that.

All I am saying is send in the legion to take out daesh and then withdraw. They know how to do it. They did it for years.

[Thorgal]

Until now, France has only admitted to delivering non-lethal weapons to the rebels such as bullet-proof jackets or night-vision goggles.

There has been a weapon embargo for Syria since 2011.

Following weapons are not confiscated from Syrian, Iraqi, Russian, Iran, Kurdish or Hezbollah armies.

Looks like Al Nusra has a new French FAMAS-F1 who wasn't mentioned in OP...

Looks like a Sham Legion militant has a new French MILAN anti-tank guided missile priced as a little Mercedes-Benz

Oh, looks like ISIL has the new French LRAC 89-F1 rocket launcher

[honcho]

lets not forget the rainbow warrior , the French government terrorists, committing an act of war in Auckland harbour ,

they certainly are not squeaky clean.......

[geriatrickid]

I am not surprised no one has said one word about the method of financing ISIS operations - oil sales. The oil is taken out of Iraq and Syria by middlemen via routes primarily through Iran, and Turkey and a lesser extent through, Lebanon and Jordan.

The West shouldn't be bombing Syria, but should betaking out the Turkish and Iranian facilities purchasing and storing the oil. Instead of giving foreign aid to Lebanon and Jordan, cut them off. Embargo the enablers of death.

[arjunadawn]

Its amazing the shortsighted, narrow, reactionary view of cause and effect here. Instead of viewing the 'video' of islamic aggression in the modern age they chose instead to view vignettes, 'snapshots'- French bombed this and this is what is reaped. Wrong! Only in a vacuum is this view [alone] valid. Islamic jihad has been variously warring on the West for ages, but in the modern era, even this century, certainly longer then the Syrian debacle. French may have upped the ante, but these attacks have been/were coming for a long time. So, perhaps I can meet them 1/2 way: A combination of jihadi aggression and failed policies to address it contributed to this recent attack.

The fact is, the French, like EU and US, have not been conducting anything resembling an intelligent strategy. When you cannot even define and name the threat you certainly cannot fight it.

[cookee68]

every one should take the gloves off now and show just what they can really do it isis in syria, take no prisoners and exterminate the scum, lets cut this human rights bullshit, and if innocent people die so be it, because the innocent people at home are dying by trying to avoid hurting their innocent people, lets stop worrying and eradicate them, treat it as a war, and not some silly play ground where rules only apply to one side, F@@k the rules

[Phuketboy]

Did you really expect you could bomb a country without any reaction? You keep bombing them they will keep bombing you, very good for the weapon industry, the big winners of this disaster.

Exactly, and guess who supplies the weapons to the terrorists. If the US really wanted to stop terrorism, they would stop supply them. The problem is that without conflict the US has no reason to be in the region. IS is the puppet of the US and Obama is the puppet master. Russia has the right idea, destroy them all. They did more in 3 weeks than the US did in the last 3 years. Why do you think the US tried to stop aid to syria and didn't want Russia to get involved?