Combined British-French Air Strike Hits Daesh Arms Cache in Syria
A Typhoon FGR4 from the Royal Air Force (archive image)
RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside France's air force in a joint strike on an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK's MoD.
The facility, located using surveillance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was located in mountainous terrain just above the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a series of entry passages down to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - referred to as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation underscores the UK's leading role, and commitment to operate in unison with our partners, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey said.
British military aircraft have carried out patrols over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to every member of our armed forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," he added. "They were among thousands of British troops on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our security, demonstrates how British military are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK at home and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces carried out what it described as a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in the country, following an attack killed two American soldiers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN says IS still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.