The Islamic State (IS) organization is gaining strength and is forcing Westerners to resume the fight interrupted after the crisis between Iran and the United States, Army Minister Florence Parly said on Tuesday. "The map is not the territory: the caliphate is crossed out from one, but it is trying to take root in the other," the minister told the 2,000 or so crew members of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which is currently crossing in the eastern Mediterranean. " Daesh has remained strong in Syria, in particular in the areas allegedly controlled by the regime (...) As for Iraq, it is troubled by its internal situation and by the upheavals of international rivalries. Daesh continues to reorganize there and harass government forces there , ”she noted.
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Coalition operations against IS had been suspended after the US assassination on January 3 in Iraq of the iconic Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, an operation which had increased tension between the two countries. " After a break, ground operations have resumed, " said Parly, referring without further detail to the training by France of Iraqi troops. " Let us never forget, the fight against terrorism is our first priority for all ", she insisted. " In the very particular context of strong tensions between Iran and the United States, these operations had to resume as quickly as possible, " she said to journalists on board, including that of AFP.
A military source noted that " the anti-IS coalition (should) remain anti-IS and not become anti-Iran. The risk of distraction is not zero and it is important to remind our partners ”. The minister praised the work of the Charles-de-Gaulle, currently off the coast of Cyprus, escorted by a Greek frigate and an American destroyer, and from which Rafales take off every day to fly over Iraq.
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Commander Christophe Charpentier, commander of the aircraft carrier's air fleet, spoke of supporting the troops on the ground. “ We do intelligence missions on a daily basis. The situation is complex, the contribution of Rafales and Hawkeyes (aerial surveillance aircraft editor's note) is to try to understand better, to objectify better, whether in terms of electronic warfare, or in terms of images. ", He explained. According to Ms. Parly, France carries out 15% of the coalition's air missions in Iraq.