Photo courtesy of Flickr/Moyan Brenn
On Friday, Nov. 13, members of the Islamic State attacked selected areas of Paris, killing over 120 people and leaving at least 300 injured in critical condition. These acts of terrorism in the City of Lights have triggered worldwide mourning, as well as an eagerness for revenge.
The strikes, which occurred almost simultaneously, targeted six sites across the city — Stade de France, various restaurants and the concert hall Bataclan, where a majority of the victims were killed. Eight assailants are believed to have been involved in the attacks, with each linked to ISIS.
With events almost immediately paralyzing the globe with confusion, sorrow, and fear, France’s President Francois Hollande, declared that the nation was in a state of emergency. Hollande viewed the attacks as an “act of war,” and stated that he intended to retaliate with zero hesitation.
Starting early Sunday morning, France began sending jets toward the ISIS stronghold in Raqqa, Syria, targeting a command center, recruitment center and ammunition storage station.
This is the second major attack on Paris within the year. In January, French journalists at the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo were killed and injured by men identified as members of the terrorist group Al-Queda, which was then followed by attacks outside of Paris as well.
Many French allies, including the United States, have remained active in trying to assist France in its recovery, retaliation and to take all measures that can possibly prevent such events from reoccurring.
The U.S. has recently given France full access to its Intelligence Database regarding the situation, information that is usually only shared with Canada, Australia, New Zealand and England.
On Monday, Nov. 16, ISIS released a video, threatening its plans to carry out similar attacks in the D.C. area. The FBI and CIA are working closely with President Obama and the nation’s allies to reduce the likelihood of a reoccurrence of such tragic attacks. FBI agents have reported that they are actively monitoring hundreds of ISIS online recruits within the nation’s borders, and that no signs of serious threats have appeared as of yet.
This story is developing with each hour, as more information about the victims and suspects of the events is uncovered and some of the leading nations in our world continue discussions on what actions must be taken to keep its peoples safe.
CNN, BBC, and The New York Times contributed to this report.
