France's airstrikes targeted ISIS command center in Syria in what would seem as an act of retribution over the gruesome and shocking Paris attacks.
France's airstrikes hit the ISIS capital of Raqqa, Syria on Sunday wherein the French defense ministry broadcasted that twenty sites were targeted including a training camp and a command post. The attack was launched just after hours reports surfaced that the terrorists that sow fear and death in Paris have communications with the command center in Syria and that the men were trained by ISIS.
According to the Daily Beast, France's airstrikes have dropped bombs on Raqqa on Oct. 8, in a move to prevent the kind of attacks that happened over the weekend in Paris. However, the kind of air assault the French have unleashed at that time was not as huge as Sunday's attack.
The airstrikes which French Rafale jets rained on Oct. 8 at Raqqa, Syria where for a camp where ISIS conducted lessons for its members. It was also said to be the location of Salim Benghalem, one of the country's most-wanted jihadist and the man responsible for overseeing French jihadist who travels to Syria and have their training with ISIS.
At that time, France's minister of defense Jean-Yves Le Drian said, “We struck because we know that in Syria, particularly around Raqqa, there are training camps for foreign fighters whose mission is not fight Daesh on the Levant but to come to France, in Europe to carry out attacks.”
Air campaign done by coalition forces including France over Syria, where the ISIS holds its operations totaled to 1,772 —146 of which came from the seven nations aside from the United States.
Last Sunday's airstrikes which happened two days after the horror in Paris was conducted with the help of the coalition forces. A Pentagon insider said, "These were French strikes but they were conducted within the coalition. We helped with the target list," as per Washington Examiner.
In a statement released by the French Defense Ministry, the raid dropped twenty bombs which included 10 fighter jets launched at the same time from Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.
France's airstrikes on Raqqa, Syria came under the heels of the attack of militants carrying suicide explosive vests and AK-47 rifles which killed dozens of civilians in a concert hall and restaurants.
The New York Times reported, as a response to last Friday's Paris onslaught, FrenchPresident Francois Hollande vowed to be "unforgiving with the barbarians."
Stay tuned for further updates regarding France airstrikes on Raqqa, Syria.
