On the evening of November 15, French bombers descended on the Islamic State’s capital city of Raqqa in Syria. Sources on the ground are saying that bombers took out a command center, recruiting center, a training camp, and an ammo depot. This is great news for everyone except for IS.

Aside from the select military positions being obliterated, the city allegedly has no power and is enduring a complete blackout according to @Raqqa_SL on Twitter. Reports also state that water is out as well. The world is watching the situation right now and there are many questions that need to be asked following this initial attack.

Will France put boots on the ground? Will the French armed forces truly wage a war that is ‘pitiless’? I hope so.

The last time the Islamic State came under such a violent and sustained bombardment was when the Jordanian Air Force clobbered IS targets for a week or so. These Jordanian attacks were sparked by IS releasing a video of a Jordanian pilot being burned alive in a cage. The brief campaign had a fair amount of success, but the goal was strictly vengeance, not sustained war. After a while, the initiative was lost and the bombs stopped.

Will this be the case with France? Hit ‘em hard and then leave so someone else can do the heavy lifting?

Personally, I do not think that will be the case. I would not be surprised if France eventually put boots on the ground after a succession of pinpoint air strikes. And if the French do engage in combat on the ground, surely it will be with full forces, not just small groups of elite troops as the US has been doing. Hopefully, these air attacks made by the French will continue and serve as a catalyst for real action that will produce real results.

Is this the beginning of the end for the Islamic State or is this just another chapter of terror? Only time will tell.