Article content

One of the criticisms of the U.S. coalition against ISIL was that it wasn’t much of a coalition. The membership was vague, most of the heavy lifting was done by the U.S., and a number of the coalition members were hardly known as military powerhouses.

That has changed significantly since the terrorist attacks in Paris two weeks ago. Following votes in London and Berlin this week, both countries have announced plans to join anti-ISIL activities in Syria.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Canada's withdrawal from Syria goes against the flow Back to video

France has been bombing ISIL targets in Iraq for more than a year. It began striking targets in Syria in September, even before the November attack on Paris, and has stepped up its efforts in the aftermath. On Friday President Francois Hollande visited the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which has been stationed off Syria with 38 warplanes to facilitate the French mission. It was also revealed that French aircraft have been carrying out reconnaissance and surveillance missions over the Libyan town of Sirte, which has come under the control of the self-declared Islamic State and is viewed as a potential alternative headquarters for ISIL leaders as Syrian targets face growing pressure.