French President Francois Hollande announced that six French fighter jets destroyed an Islamic State training camp in eastern Syria on Sunday. It was France's first time conducting airstrikes in the country.
"The camp was totally destroyed," he said before arriving at the United Nations on Sunday, adding that France was "sure there were no casualties" among civilians. The French Defense Ministry said the air raids took place over the Euphrates Valley and lasted about five hours, The Associated Press reports. France knew to target the area because of earlier reconnaissance flights and information from the U.S.-led coalition fighting against ISIS.
Hollande said the strikes were about "protecting our territory, cutting short terrorist actions, [and] acting in legitimate defense." If necessary, he said, there would be more strikes in the next few weeks. France has conducted 215 airstrikes in Iraq over the last year, but has been avoiding strikes in Syria as the country did not want to end up aiding Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. France is willing to work with Assad allies like Russia and Iran to come up with a solution to end the war, Hollande said, and "is talking to everyone and excluding no one." However, he added, "the future of Syria cannot [include] Bashar Assad."
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