Bastille Day march: Donald Trump salutes US troops in parade as France displays military might

Paris: France’s Bastille Day parade on Friday coupled traditional displays of military might with a look at wars past and present — and a nod to the US role in both. [caption id=“attachment_3506635” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] US president Donald Trump and French president Emmanuel Macron. AP[/caption] French president Emmanuel Macron invited Donald Trump as the guest of honour for the celebration to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the US entry into World War I. The two men sat side by side with their wives, speaking animatedly as American and French warplanes roared above the Champs-Elysees. Two hours before the parade Friday, the famed Champs-Elysees avenue was emptied as was the Place de la Concorde with its golden-tipped obelisk. The wide boulevard has been targeted repeatedly by Islamic extremists, most recently last month when a man crashed his car into a convoy of gendarmes. Five of the 145 US troops marching in Friday’s parade wore period World War I uniforms; Trump saluted the detachment as it passed. Also in the parade were French soldiers taking part in the mission against the Islamic State group. France and the United States are among a coalition of nations fighting the extremist organisation. Trump was expected to return to the US after the parade and Macron heads to the southern city of Nice, where last year an extremist plowed a truck into the holiday crowd, killing dozens. Islamic State claimed responsibility for that attack and others in France, including one just last month on the Champs-Elysees that left only the attacker dead.