Coordinated Anglo-French Aerial Assault Strikes IS Arms Cache in Syria
Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory operated by the IS group, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, located using reconnaissance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a series of entry passages providing entry to the depot... initial indications suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the strike late on Saturday and each participating jet made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - also known as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and determination to work closely with our partners, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of IS after its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank all the members of British forces who took part in this operation for their expertise and their bravery," he commented. "They were part of numerous UK service members deployed over the festive period. This mission, to eliminate militants who threaten our way of life, shows how our armed forces are prepared to act, continuously, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
In December, the United States armed forces conducted what it called a "massive strike" on Daesh sites in the country, following an attack claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports Islamic State still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in both countries.
