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France takes command of allied task force

France on Monday assumed the rotating command of the allied naval task force that provides security for the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea and elsewhere outside the Persian Gulf, the U.S. 5th Fleet announced.

French Navy Rear Adm. Jean L. Kerignard relieved Pakistani Commodore Khan Hasham Bin Saddique as commander of Combined Task Force 150 aboard the Pakistani frigate Tippu Sultan, according to the 5th Fleet announcement.

“CTF 150 has been active in helping mariners in peril and has saved many lives on various occasions,” Hasham said. “Our conscious efforts to build on the coalition have been fruitful.”

The allied nations of CTF-150 — which now includes warships and sailors from Canada, France, Germany, Pakistan, the United Kingdom and the U.S. — rotate command about every six months. Monday’s change of command starts France’s fifth shift in charge.