During his trip to Jordan, Emmanuel Macron dined Thursday with the soldiers of the planned air base in the Levant, who are participating in an international coalition against the Islamic State group in Iraq.
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Emmanuel Macron is in Jordan on Thursday 21 and Friday 22 December, to celebrate the traditional Christmas Eve with French soldiers engaged in external operations. After a meeting with King Abdullah on the afternoon of Thursday, December 21, the Head of State dined with the 350 soldiers from the planned air base in the Levant, located in the heart of the Jordanian desert, two hours away from the capital Amman. Franceinfo shared the pilots’ day.
In the heart of the Jordanian desert, arid and rocky, a precise choreography begins in a simple prefabricated building where the operating room is located. Maps, flight plan, safety procedure: behind closed curtains, the briefing is obligatory for Commander Julien and Captain Niels. These two pilots take the last instructions and inquire about the weather then calmly head towards the locker room. “I’m in the process of putting what we call a ‘anti-G pants’, says one of them. These are pants that will compress our abs and our legs and allow blood to be retained more easily in the brain, when we increase the load factor.”
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Operation Chammal against the Islamic State
The two pilots are almost ready for takeoff. The Rafale planes are armed, heading to a secret area. Barely 30 minutes away by flight, there are Iraq and Syria, the playground of Operation Chammal, the French component of the international operation “Inherent Resolve” responsible for fighting the Islamic State group since 2014. “Daesh has been greatly diminished since 2014, assures Commander Julien, who leads the Rafale detachment. At the time, ISIS had control over all of Iraq. Currently, Daesh is only scattered in a few places. So they are much less powerful than they have been in the past.”
“Our role has changed slightly. We almost still steal as much, but we are no longer there just in case.”
Julien, commander of the Air Force, in charge of the Rafale detachment in Jordanat franceinfo
Daily strikes have therefore become the exception. In the Levant, France is now responsible for intelligence missions, monitoring sensitive convoys, and the fight against drones. This is enough for Captain Niels to feel an immense sense of pride: “We also represent France and its interests, so it’s an honor for me. Since I was little, I wanted to be a pilot. We know that we have a great responsibility in our hands and we are proud.” These Rafale pilots are deployed for two months. They will spend the end of year holidays for the first time somewhere in this Jordanian desert, far from home.