French fighter jets have struck several Daesh targets in northeastern Iraq, France’s Defence Ministry announced in a statement on Friday.
The operation was conducted by Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft in cooperation with other members of the anti-terror international coalition.
“The objective was to destroy several tunnels used by Daesh as a rear base for its activities, and to degrade its logistical and military capabilities in the region,” the ministry said, adding that no civilians were near the target during the attack.
Footage from inside a jet captured the moment of the raid.
“France's position is constant and its determination to fight terrorism remains intact. Yesterday, the French air force bombed several caches and tunnels [belonging to] Daesh, to which we give no respite,” Defence Minister Florence Parly said of the airstrike on Friday.
France has nearly 1,000 troops as part of the US-led coalition fighting terrorists in Syria and Iraq, including over a hundred soldiers deployed in Baghdad to train and advise Iraqi forces.
Daesh, whose self-declared caliphate has been all but eliminated after five years of war, suffered a significant blow after its long-time leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed during a US-led raid last Saturday.
*aka ISIS/Islamic State, a terror group outlawed in Russia, the United States and numerous other countries.