Pentagon chief flies to warships in Persian Gulf before Daesh ‘battle’
US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has flown to the Persian Gulf to visit American and French warships ahead of their scheduled strikes against purported Daesh (ISIL) positions in Iraq and Syria.
Carter met Saturday with naval commanders on USS Kearsarge and France’s Charles de Gaulle in the Persian Gulf, saying that there will be more to come in the battle against ISIL.
"We are completely aligned with France on the mission of defeating ISIL," said Carter.
"France's willingness to do more as we do more, both in the air and on the ground, and here at sea ... I was very gratified to see that in action out aboard the Charles de Gaulle," AP reported.
France's only aircraft carrier was reportedly conducting 10-15 missions daily for about 10 days from the Mediterranean Sea before moving into the Persian Gulf on Friday.
Cmdr. Lionel Delort, French Navy spokesman on the carrier, said the ship will begin launching airstrikes into Iraq and Syria "in the coming hours or days."
While on board the French warship, Carter spoke by phone with French Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian.
He then flew from the French ship to the USS Kearsarge, which was about seven nautical miles away and met with the ship's commander, Navy Capt. Larry Getz, later saying that the ship was playing an important role in the effort against ISIL.
The visits come at the end of a weeklong trip to the region, including stops in Iraq, Turkey and Afghanistan.
Speaking to reporters traveling with him, Carter said he has identified "a number" of additional steps to take, including airstrikes, the use of special operations forces and expanded efforts to train and equip ‘local’ troops.
"There's going to be more to come," he said.
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