France launches air strikes in Syria; Paris investigation widens
Reuters
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France Drops 20 Bombs On IS Stronghold Raqqa
French jets carry out their biggest bombing raid in Syria after Islamic State gunmen massacre 132 people in Paris.
23:03, UK, Sunday 15 November 2015
French fighter planes have dropped 20 bombs on the Islamic State (IS) stronghold of Raqqa in northern Syria.
A spokesman described it as a "massive" attack and France's biggest to date in Syria.
The aerial raid was launched from air bases in United Arab Emirates and Jordan, and involved France's 12 fighter bombers based there.
It follows Friday's terror attacks which left 132 people dead in the French capital.
IS fighters said they carried out the gun and bomb massacre - calling Paris "the capital of prostitution and obscenity".
Sky's Sam Kiley, in northern Iraq, said the French airstrikes should not be seen as a "wanton act of revenge" or carpet-bombing campaign.
"I think it's very clear that the French and the wider coalition have decided in a sense to give France the iron fist at least for the next 24 hours or so," he said.
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Paris Attackers Communicated With ISIS, Officials Say
PARIS — French warplanes struck Islamic State militants
in Syria on Sunday, a French government official said, two days after
attackers linked to the terrorist group carried out a coordinated assault on Paris that killed 129 people.
Prior to the attack on Paris, France had been sparing in its strikes against targets in Syria.
News
reports in France said the airstrikes were focused on Raqqa, the city
in northern Syria that is the self-proclaimed capital of the Islamic
State.
The attackers in
Friday’s terrorist assault in Paris communicated at some point
beforehand with known members of the Islamic State in Syria, officials
on both sides of the Atlantic say, adding evidence to the assertions
that the radical group coordinated or helped carry out the attacks
rather than simply inspired them.
President François Hollande of France has characterized the attacks as “an act of war” carried out by the Islamic State, also known as ISIS
or ISIL. He provided no specific information, but the Islamic State
released statements on Saturday claiming responsibility for the attacks,
part of increasing indications that the group is becoming more capable
of extending its reach far beyond its base in Syria and Iraq.
Police 'Let Fugitive Suspect Go After Attacks'
A
manhunt is under way for Saleh Abdeslam after he was reportedly
questioned and released despite being identified by authorities.
21:29, UK, Sunday 15 November 2015
A man wanted over the Paris terror attacks had been questioned and released by police hours after the massacres, it is claimed.
He was apparently spoken to by officers on Saturday morning when they pulled over a car carrying three people near the Belgian border.
Police then checked Abdeslam's ID and subsequently let him go, officials told the Associated Press.
The incident came just hours after authorities had identified him as the person who rented the Polo which was abandoned at the scene of the attack.
One of his brothers, Ibrahim Abdeslam, was reportedly among the seven suicide bombers in the co-ordinated assaults targeting six sites across the French capital.
A third brother was apparently arrested in Belgium and questioned before being released.
Salah Abdeslam, who was born in Brussels, is described as 1m 75cm (5ft 8in) tall and has brown eyes.
Police released a photo of him and warned the public he is dangerous and said "do not intervene yourself". There are reports he may have fled to Spain.
Another man, Bilal Hadfi, has been named as among the attackers and he also lived in Belgium as did Salah and Ibrahim Abdeslam, said the Washington Post.
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Major events: Attacks directed by/linked to ISIS Attacks inspired by ISIS Arrests of suspected ISIS militants or supporters
Outlined countries are where ISIS is conducting regular military operations.
IRAQ
Libya
Egypt
ISIS Declares Provinces Across the Region
Lybia
Egypt
Syria
Iraq
Saudi Arabia
YemenAfghanistan
Pakistan
Nigeria
See Detailed Map Here
If investigators determine that the Islamic State is responsible for the catastrophic attacks in Paris, as the group claims and France alleges, the assaults represent a major leap in the group’s abilities.
Until now, the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, has relied mainly on “lone wolf” followers to attack the West, with relatively low-tech assaults — shootings, the taking of hostages, hit-and-runs — that draw wide attention but do not cause mass casualties.
“This is much different than a normal lone wolf inspired attack,” said Patrick M. Skinner, a former C.I.A. operations officer now with the Soufan Group, a security consultancy. “This was choreographed.”
“The fact that they could do this, especially in Paris, where the intelligence service is really good, clearly there’s a hole somewhere,” Mr. Skinner said.
The Islamic State has been expanding beyond its base in Iraq and Syria since it declared a caliphate, or Islamic state, in June 2014. The group is focused on three parallel tracks, according to Harleen Gambhir, an analyst at the Institute for the Study of War:
- inciting regional conflict with attacks in Iraq and Syria;
- building relationships with jihadist groups that can carry out military operations across the Middle East and North Africa;
- and inspiring, and sometimes helping, ISIS sympathizers to conduct attacks in the West.
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