Macron announces that Spain will escort an aircraft carrier in Iraq to fight the IS

The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, said Thursday that Spain will participate in the escort work of the only French aircraft carrier, Charles de Gaulle, which will join operations against the jihadist group Islamic State in Iraq.

In his statements, the French president has announced that the aircraft carrier will join Operation Chammal (name of the French operations against Islamic State in Iraq) between January and April 2020.

"The aircraft group will support Operation Chammal between January and April 2020 before heading to the Atlantic and the North Sea," he said, before adding that "Germany, Belgium, Spain, Greece, the Netherlands and Portugal " will participate in the escort "during the mission.

Macron stressed that " Operation Chammal continues the operations to fight against the Islamic State" and has warned that, although "the territorial caliphate no longer exists, the threat continues in another way, larval, more perfidious."

Charles de Gaulle already supported operations against the Islamic State in 2019, when the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDS) snatched the last enclave from jihadists in Syria with support from the U.S.- led international coalition .

The coalition announced last week a "pause" in its military operations in Iraq in the face of increased tensions over the death of General Qasem Soleimani, head of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards of Iran, in a US bombing in Baghdad.

Just a few days before, Operation Inherent Resolution, part of the coalition, will announce the indefinite suspension of its operations against the jihadist group and the formation of Iraqi forces in the face of instability in the country.

Spain has already participated since 2014 with about 500 soldiers in this international operation against the Islamic State. Their work, according to the Defense General Staff, mainly consists of training the Iraqi security forces and forces in their fight against the IS, together with several of the same countries that Macron has explained that they will escort the aircraft carrier. Besmaya, Baghdad, Al Taqaddum and Taji are the places where Iraqis are being trained. In September 2018, a total of 44,266 people had already been trained, according to EMAD data.

In addition, there are military personnel belonging to the so-called Task Force Toro (Helicopter Unit) whose main mission is to provide air transportation to the Coalition troops, counting on Chinook and Cougar helicopters.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project