Paris: France said Wednesday it had extended the mission of its aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, in the eastern Mediterranean until mid-December to help the offensive against the Islamic State group in the Iraqi city of Mosul.
President Francois Hollande decided to extend the mission after France`s defence council "reviewed the military, humanitarian, political and security stakes involved in the recapture of Mosul," a statement issued by his office said.
The carrier was deployed to the region on September 30 with a one-month mission, its third since February 2015.
With the offensive in its second week, Iraqi forces backed by US-led coalition air strikes were inching towards eastern Mosul on Tuesday as growing numbers of civilians fled the city, Iraq`s second largest.
