BAGHDAD — France carried out its first air strike against the Islamic State group in Iraq Friday, boosting US-led efforts to unite the world against the growing threat posed by the extremists. More than a decade after Paris famously refused to back the invasion of Iraq, France became the first nation to join the US campaign of air strikes in the war-torn country. “This morning at 9:40, our Rafale planes carried out a first strike against a logistics depot of the terrorist organization (IS),” President Francois Hollande said. His office said the target was in northeastern Iraq, without specifying exactly where, only adding: “The objective was hit and completely destroy.” French Defense Ministry sources said two jets dropped laser-guided GBU-12 bombs in the Mosul area. — AFP