French Carrier Returns To Fight ISIS

The French government announced on November 5 that the aircraft carier Charles de Gaulle is to be deployed in operations against Islamic State

"The deployment of the battle group alongside the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier has been decided to participate in operations against Daesch and its affiliate groups," the statement said, referring to the Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

The statement added that Paris supported efforts to reach a political transition in Syria, but that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could not be part of the country's future.

The carrier is usually accompanied by an attack submarine, several frigates and a refuelling ship. 

The de Gaulle was in the Persian Gulf and conducting airstrikes against ISIS militants for a period of two months in early 2015. The vessel's return to the battle will bolster France's contribution to the fight, adding the de Gaulle's embarked fighters – typically about 20 planes - to a complement of about six aircraft based in Jordan and six in the UAE, where France maintains a naval station. 

The nuclear-powered vessel is the flagship of the French navy and its only true aircraft carrier.