France Launches First Airstrike Against ISIS in Iraq

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France Launches First Airstrike Against ISIS in Iraq
French President Francois Hollande delivers his speech during a press conference at the Elysee Palace, Thursday, Sept.18, 2014. Hollande said he agreed to Iraq's request for air support at a meeting of his top defense and security advisers earlier Thursday. Credit: AP Photo/Christophe Ena

PARIS — France says it has conducted its first airstrike in Iraq and has destroyed a logistics depot held by the Islamic State (ISIS) group.

The office of President Francois Hollande's office said Rafale fighter jets struck the depot in northeastern Iraq on Friday morning and the target was "entirely destroyed."

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"Other operations will follow in the coming days," said Hollande's office in a statement. It did not elaborate on the type of material at the depot or its exact location.

At a news conference a day earlier, Hollande said France had agreed to "soon" conduct airstrikes requested by Iraq to bolster its fight against IS fighters who have captured swaths of the country.

He stressed that France wouldn't go beyond airstrikes in support of the Iraqi military or Kurdish Peshmerga forces, and wouldn't attack targets in Syria, where IS has also captured territory.

French jets on Monday began flying reconnaissance missions over Iraq involving Rafales and an ATL2 surveillance plane, military spokesman Col. Gilles Jaron said.

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