Joint British-French Airstrike Targets IS Munitions Store in Syria
Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a combined operation against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was situated in mountains just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a several entry passages providing entry to the depot... early reports indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - referred to as Daesh - imposed extremist governance over parts of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and resolve to operate in unison with allied nations, to eliminate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS following its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of British forces involved in this strike for their skill and their valour," Healey commented. "Including them were thousands of British troops on duty over the holidays. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad."
Last December, the United States armed forces conducted what it described as a "major assault" against Daesh sites in Syria, following an ambush claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN says IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
