What Happened On Feb. 3, France's air force conducted several airstrikes against rebel forces in northern Chad after their 40-vehicle convoy crossed over from Libya. Following an unsuccessful strike by Chad, which had since Feb. 1 been monitoring the militants alongside France. French jets were dispatched from N'Djamena to halt the rebel movements. At first, the aircraft conducted a number of flybys in an attempt to deter the rebels; when this proved unsuccessful, the jets attacked the vehicles, reportedly dispersing the convoy. Why It Matters Since France's intervention in Mali in 2013 (and subsequently in the more regionally focused Operation Barkhane ) the country's Africa-based troops have focused on fighting Islamist militancy.