On Mar. 20, Coalition military forces conducted 28 strikes consisting of 81 engagements against ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq.

In Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 22 strikes consisting of 28 engagements against ISIS targets.

* Near Abu Kamal, three strikes destroyed three well heads and a pump jack.

* Near Ar Raqqah, 19 strikes engaged eight ISIS tactical units; destroyed four petroleum oil lubricant equipment pieces, three barges, three fighting positions, three ISIS headquarters, two VBIED facilities, two VBIEDs, a VBIED factory, a tunnel, a vehicle, a weapons storage facility, and a command and control node; and damaged two supply routes.

In Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted six strikes consisting of 53 engagements coordinated with and in support of the government of Iraq against ISIS targets.

* Near Al Qaim, one strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle.

* Near Mosul, four strikes [1-2 British] engaged four ISIS tactical units and three ISIS sniper teams; destroyed 14 fighting positions, five rocket-propelled grenade systems, three VBIEDs, a supply cache, an anti-air artillery system, and a heavy machine gun; damaged six supply routes and two fighting positions; and suppressed four ISIS mortar teams and three ISIS tactical units.

* Near Tal Afar, one strike destroyed an ISIS-held building.

Monday 20 March – Typhoons and Tornados hit a further three targets in Mosul…Action continued into Monday 20 March, when Tornados bombed a strong-point in the west of the city, and Typhoons struck two Daesh positions, including one from which heavy machine-gun fire was being directed at the Iraqis.

De Belgische F-16’s hebben de kaap van zevenduizend vlieguren tijdens operatie Desert Falcon (ODF) bereikt. Sinds oktober 2014 voeren de toestellen opdrachten uit boven Irak en later Syrië. Daar geven ze luchtsteun aan grondtroepen, vallen ze doelwitten aan van Islamitische Staat (IS) en voeren ze verkenningsopdrachten uit.

Snow City: een helwitte vlek in het midden van de vaalbruine Jordaanse woestijn en de naam van de Belgisch-Nederlandse basis van waaruit dagelijks F-16’s vertrekken voor opdrachten in Irak en Syrië. Om een beter zicht te krijgen op hoe zo’n operatie er op het terrein precies aan toe gaat, bezochten Defensieminister Steven Vandeput en de leden van de parlementscommissie voor Defensie op 20 maart de basis.

De minister en parlementsleden waren er dan ook bij toen de F-16 landde die net het zevenduizendste uur had gevlogen. Een memorabel moment voor de operatie, maar minder spectaculair voor de piloot zelf, die er net een marathonvlucht van vijf uur op had zitten. “Ik weet van deze middag dat ik het zevenduizendste uur heb gevlogen, maar het is natuurlijk wel een mijlpaal die we gezet hebben.”

Zevenduizend vlieguren, dat betekent zevenduizend uur lang luchtsteun geven aan grondtroepen, doelwitten van IS aanvallen en verkenningsopdrachten uitvoeren boven Irak en sinds 2016 ook boven Syrië. Om die opdrachten naar behoren uit te kunnen voeren, beschikken de F-16’s over een aantal hoogtechnologische snufjes, zoals de sniper pod, een krachtige visuele en infraroodcamera waarmee de piloot doelwitten kan identificeren. Ook de piloot zelf is hoogtechnologisch uitgerust. Zijn helm heeft niet zomaar een vizier, maar een scherm waarop alle wapensystemen van zijn toestel worden geprojecteerd.

Al die snufjes gebruiken ze intensief. Tijdens de huidige ODF-opdracht, die startte in juli 2016, hebben de Belgische F-16’s 326 missies gevlogen, goed voor zo’n 3.400 vlieguren. Daarvan bestond 45 procent uit “kinetische” missies, de militaire manier om te zeggen dat er bommen gedropt werden op doelwitten. Het merendeel van die opdrachten, ongeveer tachtig procent, vond plaats in Irak.

De Belgische F-16’s blijven nog tot 1 juli in Jordanië. Daarna is een politieke beslissing nodig voor een verdere inzet, ten vroegste vanaf januari 2018.

On Mar. 19, Coalition military forces conducted 25 strikes consisting of 92 engagements against ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq.

In Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 19 strikes consisting of 27 engagements against ISIS targets.

* Near Abu Kamal, one strike destroyed two well heads, two tanker trucks, and a pump jack.

* Near Ar Raqqah, 18 strikes engaged seven ISIS tactical units; destroyed 10 fighting positions, six barges, three ISIS headquarters, a tactical vehicle, an IED factory, and a weapons factory; and damaged a supply route.

In Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted six strikes consisting of 65 engagements coordinated with and in support of the government of Iraq against ISIS targets.

* Near Mosul, six strikes [3 British] engaged four ISIS tactical units and four ISIS sniper teams; destroyed 17 fighting positions, six heavy machine guns, four vehicles, three rocket-propelled grenade systems, a mortar system, a VBIED factory, an artillery system, and a roadblock; damaged nine supply routes; and suppressed six ISIS mortar teams, five ISIS tactical units, and an ISIS anti-air artillery team.

Sunday 19 March – Typhoons and Tornados attacked eleven terrorist positions inside western Mosul…Sunday 19 March proved a busy day for both the Tornado and Typhoon aircrews over Mosul. Yet again working very closely with the Iraqi troops, they repeatedly struck Daesh positions engaged in extremely close combat with the security forces. In total, eleven Daesh targets, including sniper, heavy machine-gun and rocket-propelled grenade teams, were eliminated by Paveway IVs.

On Mar. 18, Coalition military forces conducted 23 strikes consisting of 56 engagements against ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq.

In Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 17 strikes consisting of 18 engagements against ISIS targets.

* Near Al Shadaddi, one strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed three tactical vehicles.

* Near Ar Raqqah, 11 strikes [1 British] engaged three ISIS tactical units; destroyed five fighting positions, two ISIS headquarters; and damaged three bridges and two supply routes.

* Near Dayr Az Zawr, three strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit; and destroyed four wellheads and a fighting position.



* Near Palmyra, two strikes destroyed three ISIS-held buildings and two well heads.

In Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted six strikes consisting of 38 engagements coordinated with and in support of the government of Iraq against ISIS targets.

* Near Haditha, one strike suppressed an ISIS tactical unit.

* Near Mosul, five strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units; destroyed 14 fighting positions, four vehicles, two rocket-propelled grenade systems, a medium machine gun, and an artillery system; damaged 14 supply routes; and suppressed five mortar teams and three ISIS tactical units.

Saturday 18 March – Tornados destroyed a terrorist headquarters near Raqqa in Syria…Although the immediate primary operational focus remains on supporting the liberation of western Mosul, operations against Daesh in Syria have not been neglected, with RAF aircraft conducting intensive armed reconnaissance missions there. A Daesh headquarters was identified at a small building five miles east of Raqqa, and on Saturday 18 March, this was destroyed by a direct hit from a Paveway IV released by a Tornado flight.

On Mar. 17, Coalition military forces conducted 15 strikes consisting of 80 engagements against ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq.

In Syria, Coalition military forces conducted seven strikes consisting of seven engagements against ISIS targets.

* Near Ar Raqqah, five strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units, destroyed three fighting positions, two ISIS tactical vehicles, and an ISIS weapons factory; and damaged a bridge.

* Near Palmyra, two strikes destroyed two ISIS front-end loaders and a cave entrance.

In Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted eight strikes consisting of 73 engagements coordinated with and in support of the government of Iraq against ISIS targets.

* Near Al Qaim, one strike destroyed an ISIS explosives cache.

* Near Bayji, one strike destroyed an ISIS vehicle.

* Near Kisik, one strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed an ISIS-held building.

* Near Mosul, four strikes [1-2 British] engaged three ISIS tactical units; destroyed 56 ISIS vehicles, 25 fighting positions, five rocket-propelled grenade systems, two medium machine guns, two mortar systems, and an ISIS VBIED; and suppressed 20 ISIS mortar teams and four ISIS tactical units.

* Near Tal Afar, one strike destroyed an ISIS VBIED factory.

Friday 17 March – Tornados supported Iraqi troops advancing inside western Mosul, destroying five Daesh targets…Tornado close support missions over Mosul continued on Friday 17 March. Our aircrew again faced very challenging conditions with heavy cloud and having to engage targets perilously close to the Iraqi troops whom they were assisting. Nevertheless, five terrorist positions, including a mortar team, were successfully destroyed by Paveway IVs.