France carried out a second round of air strikes in Iraq on Thursday, government spokesman Stephane Le Foll said, as part of a US-led coalition helping the Iraqi army fight Islamic State (IS) jihadists.
The announcement came as France mourned the beheading of hostage Herve Gourdel by Algerian jihadists linked to IS, and Le Foll said flags would be flown at half-mast across France for three days from Friday.