France Will Deploy Aircraft Carrier to the Middle East, Macron Says

By Staff, Agencies

French President Emmanuel Macron said in his New Year speech to the French army that aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle will support “Chammal operations [in the Middle East] from January until April 2020,” Reuters reported.

The deployment includes the aircraft carrier's battle group, a group of smaller escorts that service the huge ship.

The Chammal operations are the ongoing missions taken by the French army in Iraq and Syria under the pretext of fighting Daesh [the Arabic acronym for terrorist ‘ISIS/ISIL’ group] and support the Iraqi military. The name is derived from the Shamal wind.

The aircraft carrier is nuclear-powered and can carry 550 aircrews and accommodate 800 marines, Naval Technology reported.