French Military Operations against ISIL

Opération Chammal is the name of the French military operation which is currently ongoing in Iraq and Syria in an attempt to contain the expansion of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and to support the Iraqi Army. Its name comes from the Shamal (Chammal in French), a northwesterly wind blowing over Iraq and the Persian Gulf states. Airstrikes over Iraq started 19 September 2014, airstrikes over Syria started end of September 2015. The French operation is limited to airstrikes; French president François Hollande has reiterated that no ground troops would be used in the conflict. Additionally, the French frigate Jean Bart has joined the United States Navy's Commander Task Force 50 (CTF 50) as an escort. On 14 November 2015, ISIL claimed that the attacks that took place in Paris the previous day were retaliation for Opération Chammal. In retaliation, the French forces were stepping up their attacks against ISIL.