(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) The French air force has expanded its theatre of operations to hit Islamic State in Iraqi and Levant (ISIL) in central Iraq around the town of Tikrit, the Defence Ministry indicated on Thursday.
Defence officials in a regular briefing told journalists that on Wednesday night France "struck the region of Tikrit" as part of Coalition operations, which are carried out mainly by United States but with participation by other countries - like Britain and some other European and Arab nations.
France, which is flying out of a base in the UAE and another base in Jordan, is using Mirage and Rafale fighter-bombers to strike ISIL targets but has, up until now, been operating exclusively in northern Iraq, mostly in support of Kurdish forces there.
France also sent its sole aircraft carrier "Charles de Gaulle" to the Gulf waters to take part in anti-ISIL strikes.
The French air force has additionally been using attack drones to hit targets in northern Iraq.
France refuses to carry out operations in Syria against ISIL as it says it will not do anything that could strengthen the position of the Bashar Al-Assad regime, which it blames for the civil war in Syria that has cost close to 220,000 lives and forced 10 million people into refugee status.
The French government equates Al-Assad with ISIL and says "they are two sides of the same coin." Paris says these two sides are responsible for the enduring conflict and are self-perpetuating and serve each other's purposes.
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