December 12th 2014 – A RAF Reaper conducted armed reconnaissance in northern Iraq, where ISIL are facing increasing pressure from the Kurdish peshmerga.The Reaper’s mission focused on engineering equipment being used by the terrorists to construct defensive positions to hold up peshmerga advances.The remotely piloted aircraft was able to locate 2 of these engineer vehicles, and attacked them with Hellfire missiles.

Further south, another Reaper identified an ISIL armed pick-up truck and engaged it with a Hellfire missile.

RAF Tornado GR4s were also providing surveillance for the Iraqi army in Anbar province, and were able to assist Iraqi soldiers engaged in a firefight with terrorists near Ramadi. Paveway precision guided bombs and Brimstone missiles were used to deal with ISIL fighting positions and 3 vehicles, including 2 armoured personnel carriers.