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Opération Chammal

From Alfawiki
Opération Chammal
Company typeMilitary operation
IndustryMilitary
FoundedSeptember 2014; 12 years ago (2014-09)
Headquarters
France
Area served
Iraq, Syria, Libya
Key people
François Hollande, Emmanuel Macron, Manuel Valls
ProductsAirstrikes, military support operations
Number of employees
Approx. 3,200 personnel (initial deployment)

Opération Chammal', initiated by France in September 2014, is a military campaign aimed at curbing the territorial gains of the Islamic State across Iraq and Syria while providing assistance to Iraqi forces. The operation derives its name from the Shamal, a northwesterly wind prevalent over Iraq and the Persian Gulf region. Initially concentrating on aerial bombardments within Iraq, the scope of the mission expanded to include Syrian targets by late 2015.

The strategy underpinning this operation emphasized the use of air power, deliberately avoiding the deployment of ground combat units at the outset. Key components of the force included the aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle, several naval vessels, approximately thirty Dassault Rafale fighter jets, Mirage 2000D bombers, reconnaissance aircraft, artillery support, and a contingent of roughly 3,200 personnel, including special operations forces.

After ISIS claimed responsibility for the November 2015 Paris attacks as retaliation against Opération Chammal, France significantly intensified its military involvement. The campaign continues actively with ongoing airstrikes and support operations designed to weaken IS capabilities in both Iraq and Syria.

Background

On 10 June 2014, the terrorist organization Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), alongside other Sunni insurgent groups, captured Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest urban center. Following confrontations with the Iraqi Army, ISIL expanded its dominion across multiple cities, perpetrating widespread massacres and violations of international law.

ISIL subjected minority communities such as Assyrians, Copts, and Yazidis to systematic persecution and brutal atrocities, including the mass killing during the June 2014 Camp Speicher massacre, where thousands lost their lives. By August 2014, ISIL had seized control of nearly one-third of Iraqi territory.

On 7 August 2014, U.S. President Barack Obama authorized air operations within Iraq. The following day, the United States Air Force commenced strikes against ISIS positions, supplemented by humanitarian assistance from both the United Kingdom and France. On 10 September 2014, Obama declared an expansion of U.S. military efforts into Syria.

French authorities' statements leading up to France attacking ISIL

In September 2014, French officials signaled their intent to engage militarily against ISIL:

The French administration referenced United Nations Security Council resolution 2170 (adopted on 15 August 2014) as the international mandate legitimizing its intervention.

Air strikes on Iraq

On 18 September 2014, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced that President François Hollande had authorized French airstrikes in Iraq following a formal request from Baghdad.

The next day, on 19 September, two Rafale jets from the French Air Force executed their inaugural airstrike by targeting an ISIS weapons depot in Mosul using GBU-12 Paveway II precision-guided bombs. The Élysée Palace confirmed the destruction of this facility along with the elimination of approximately 75 Islamic State militants. Iraqi military spokesperson Qassim al-Moussawi reported that four separate strikes hit Zummar, resulting in dozens of ISIL casualties.

Between 21 and 24 September, French Rafale aircraft conducted multiple reconnaissance sorties and provided close air support near Baghdad and Mosul, assisting Iraqi ground operations.

On 25 September, France carried out its second airstrike with two Rafale jets destroying four ISIL supply warehouses near Fallujah. This action followed closely after the execution of French hostage Hervé Gourdel by the extremist group Jund al-Khilafah. Simultaneously, joint Franco-American airstrikes targeted positions in Kirkuk, killing fifteen ISIL fighters and wounding thirty others.

Reconnaissance missions over Nineveh Governorate were conducted on 26 September by two Rafale jets accompanied by an Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft.

In November 2014, France bolstered its aerial strike capacity by deploying six Mirage 2000D fighter-bombers stationed in Jordan.

From 18 December 2014 through 7 January 2015, French Rafale and Mirage jets completed a total of forty-five sorties that successfully neutralized ten designated targets.

On 14 January 2015, President Hollande announced that the aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle would be dispatched to the Persian Gulf to enhance airstrike capabilities against ISIL forces. The carrier arrived in November and conducted its initial combat missions on 23 November.

Air strikes on Syria and Iraq

Beginning in late September 2015, France broadened its airstrike campaign against ISIL to include Syrian territory, initially restricting operations to avoid bolstering Bashar Assad by striking his adversaries.

French jets targeted locations within Syria for the first time in early October 2015. The following month, Prime Minister Manuel Valls reaffirmed France’s determination to persist with attacks against Daesh as an act of self-defense, irrespective of the terrorists’ countries of origin.

In response to ISIL’s claim that the November 13, 2015 Paris attacks were retaliation for Opération Chammal, France escalated its military efforts. On November 15, the French Air Force executed its most significant strike to date, deploying a dozen aircraft that released twenty bombs on training facilities and ammunition depots in Raqqa, ISIL’s de facto capital. The United Kingdom provided support through air-to-air refueling operations and access to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, while Germany contributed by dispatching a frigate and reconnaissance planes stationed in Turkey.

On January 17, 2019, President Emmanuel Macron declared that despite the US plans to withdraw under the Trump administration, France intended to uphold its strategic mission to eliminate Daesh and sustain its military presence in Syria throughout 2019.

Following the collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024, the French Air Force resumed airstrikes targeting Islamic State positions within Syria.

Battle of Mosul (2016)

France joined a coalition of 60 nations supporting Iraqi and Kurdish forces in reclaiming Mosul from ISIL control after the group seized the city in 2014. The French military deployed four CAESAR artillery howitzers along with between 150 and 200 personnel at Qayyarah Airfield West, with plans to increase troop numbers by an additional 600 by late September. Another contingent of 150 soldiers was assigned to Erbil to provide training for Peshmerga fighters. In September 2016, the Charles de Gaulle was sent from Toulon toward the Syrian coastline to facilitate airstrikes and reconnaissance missions against ISIL targets. France committed a total of 36 Rafale M jets—24 based aboard the Charles de Gaulle and 12 operating from airbases located in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

Operations in Libya

In February 2016, French Special Forces collaborated with British and American units within Libya as part of coordinated efforts targeting ISIL strongholds in the region.

Military bases

By 2018, the Lafarge cement factory situated south of Kobanî, Syria, functioned as a base for both the 1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment and United States Army personnel.

Throughout the operation, at least three bases were established near Kobanî, Sarrin, and Ayn Issa. French and American forces were also observed conducting patrols within downtown Manbij, Syria.

Casualties

On September 23, 2017, Adjudant-chef Stéphane Grenier from the 13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment became France’s first combat casualty during Operation Chammal. Subsequently, on March 21, 2018, Caporal Bogusz Pochylski of the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment was recorded as the second soldier killed in action.

Assets

See also

References

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