Pentagon chief makes first visit to French aircraft carrier: French defence ministry

Paris: US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter on Saturday visited France's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier in the Gulf where it is being used to launch strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq, the French defence ministry said.

It was the first visit by a US Pentagon chief to the French flagship aircraft carrier, which is at the heart of a stepped-up air campaign against the jihadists in Syria and Iraq.