During his vows to the armed forces, Thursday January 16, Emmanuel Macron announced the deployment of the French aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle and his escort, as part of the fight against the Islamic State Organization (OEI).
This is the fifth time that France has sent its Carrier Strike Group (GAN) to the eastern Mediterranean, a "planned" mission which is part of the "continuity of French anti-terrorist operations" explains, to France 24, a source at the ministry armies.
Less known than Operation Barkhane in the Sahel, Operation Chammal, launched by France in 2014 to support Iraq, is set to continue despite the fall of the Caliphate.
Eleven bursts and 160 soldiers
On June 29, 2014, after a lightning advance in Iraq and Syria, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaims the caliphate of the Islamic State organization from the Syrian city of Raqqa. Taken aback, the Iraqi neighbor calls for help to fight the terrorist group. On September 19, the combined operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), bringing together more than 70 nations, was born.
Operation Chammal, the French component of this coalition, is made up of 11 bursts and twenty pilots stationed on air bases in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. In 2016, during the military offensive against the OEI, the contingent was enriched by artillery battle groups. In two and a half years, a total of 1,100 artillerymen have been deployed to operate the Caesar guns. Their mission ended in Baghouz, along the Iraqi-Syrian border after the defeat of the last jihadists of the OEI in March 2019.
The carrier strike group, made up in particular of the aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle, has also been deployed four times to support operations. Finally, 160 French soldiers are deployed in Baghdad for training, advice and assistance.
A military support and training mission
In the offensive phase of the conflict, the aim of the French contingent was above all to strike the positions of the jihadist group to allow the fighters to advance on the ground.
For the Ministry of the Armed Forces, there is no doubt: "France played a leading role in the liberation of Mosul, by weakening the group and then supporting the ground offensive of the Iraqi forces", explains Colonel Barbry, carries - word of the general staff of the armies, interviewed by France 24.
But if the fall of the Islamic State group constitutes a decisive victory for the international coalition, the government is careful not to triumph. Emmanuel Macron underlined, on Thursday, the "determination" and the "courage" of the French commitment while insisting on the importance of the mission. "Our forces engaged in Operation Chammal are continuing operations to combat Daesh [acronym of the OEI], the threat of which still hangs in another form, hidden, more insidious," said the head of state.
A long-term operation
In this context, the deployment of Charles-de-Gaulle raises questions. Does France wish to intensify its efforts in the fight against the EI group? At the Ministry of the Armed Forces, we confirm the desire to "strengthen French air capacity for a given time to fight clandestine cells, which are still active despite the fall of the Caliphate".
Jean-Paul Paloméros, former chief of staff of the Air Force, explains that the Charles-de-Gaulle has two advantages: "The aircraft carrier supports the operations in progress , but can also supplement air assets. Today, there are few offensive missions. What interests France, it is in priority the reconnaissance flights to obtain information. The choice was made to keep a device adapted and to assert a presence. The challenge is to spare forces and troops in the long term with relay systems. "
Beyond the operational aspect, the training project for Iraqi soldiers also seems to be long-term. The Ministry of the Armed Forces claims to have provided 25% of the training provided to the Iraqi anti-terrorist forces by the international coalition. "We have made a lot of progress on training, particularly with the anti-terrorist forces, confirms Colonel Barbry. But the situation on the ground is still volatile and the presence of our forces is still necessary."
A point of view shared by Jean-Paul Paloméros: "The Iraqi and Syrian crises are not over. We are in the middle. In the Levant, as in the Sahel, France is facing demanding conflicts that leave no respite Even if the outcome is uncertain, France does not want a premature withdrawal like that of the United States in Iraq. "
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