Coordinated UK-French Air Strike Hits IS Arms Cache in the Syrian region
Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with France's air force in a joint strike on an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, identified by surveillance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was positioned in hills just north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a series of approach shafts down to the facility... initial indications are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the strike on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as Daesh - enforced militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and resolve to work closely with our partners, to stamp out any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary said.
British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any efforts to regroup" of IS following its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were among a great many British personnel deployed over the holidays. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security at home and influential overseas."
Last December, the American forces executed what it described as a "massive strike" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, subsequent to an attack claimed the lives of two US troops and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates Daesh still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Iraq and Syria.
