French Defence Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, on Friday said that his country had launched a new air strike overnight in Syria against an Islamic State training camp.
“France hit Daesh of Islamic State in Syria last night in Raqqa and the targets were met ,it is not the first time, nor will it be the last time as other strikes will follow,” Le Drian told newsmen
It would be recalled that France launched its first air strike in Syria on Sept. 27, destroying an Islamic State training camp near Deir al-Zor in the east of the country, saying at the time it was acting in “self defence”.
Defending the action, Le Drian said that the Islamic State was France’s “main enemy” and that Russian air strikes were mostly hitting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s opponents in Syria and not Islamic State targets.
He reiterated that Assad, whom he said had killed 250,000 of his own people, could not be part of a political solution in Syria.
France, which has provided weapons and logistical support to rebels linked to the Free Syrian Army in the past, has repeatedly said Assad would have to go before government troops and rebels could together defeat Islamic State
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