French President Visits Baghdad

François Hollande, the President of France, arrived in Baghdad on Monday, January 3, for discussions with French military personnel and Iraqi officials. According to AFP, the leader is expected to review the progress of the battle against the group known as 'Islamic State.' Hollande is accompanied by Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French Minister of Defense, and they are also scheduled to visit the Kurdistan region of Iraq. France is considered one of the key members of the U.S.-led coalition in the fight against the so-called 'Islamic State.' The French President is the highest-ranking official from the main countries in this coalition to visit Baghdad in the past two and a half years. He had previously traveled to Iraq in September 2014 to emphasize France and the West's support for the fight against 'ISIS.' France has been the center of some of the most extensive and deadliest recent terrorist attacks in Europe, for which the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria has claimed responsibility. In support of the coalition's operations against 'Islamic State,' France has conducted 5,700 sorties and 1,000 attacks, targeting 1,700 positions according to reported statistics. Fourteen Rafale jets from France are stationed in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates for coalition air operations. Paris has also sent 500 military personnel to Iraq for training and advising Iraqi forces. Hollande's visit to Iraq is expected to last one day, during which he will spend part of the time among his country's military forces.