France OKs strikes against Islamic State

PARIS – French lawmakers voted Wednesday to continue airstrikes in Syria against the Islamic State group that claimed responsibility for the Nov. 13 attacks that killed 130 people in Paris, while Germany’s chancellor said her country would do more in the international fight against the group.

Parliament’s upper house, the Senate, voted 325-0 with 21 abstentions to prolong France’s airstrikes in Syria beyond early January. The lower house had earlier voted 515-4 in favor.

French fighter jets joined the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State extremists in Iraq in 2014, and expanded their mission to IS targets in Syria in September. President François Hollande cited specific threats against French interests stemming from IS in Syria.

The vote came as Hollande and German Chanellor Angela Merkel discussed how to combat the group that has spread its violence beyond Syria to Europe and North Africa.

“We know that this attack wasn’t just intended for the people of Paris, but for our whole way of life,” she said after laying a single white rose at the Place de la Republique, the Paris square that has become the focal point of tributes for the victims.

Associated Press