Summary

Friday 10 April – Typhoons struck Daesh targets in northern Iraq

Detail
The Royal Air Force continues to fly daily armed reconnaissance missions over Iraq and eastern Syria as part of the global coalition against the Daesh terrorist movement.

On Friday 10 April, one such patrol conducted air strikes in support of a counter-terrorism operation in northern Iraq.

The pair of Typhoons, assisted by an RAF Reaper aircraft, identified Daesh terrorists occupying a group of fortified buildings in an isolated location west of Tuz Khurma, known to be inhabited by active terrorist commanders and fighters.

The aircraft conducted a thorough check of the area for non-combatants, before using a combination of precision guided bombs to destroy the buildings.

The surveillance aircraft continued to scan the area, confirming that all weapons had struck their targets and there was no collateral damage. Subsequent intelligence indicated that it was a successful operation, removing several Daesh fighters from the battlefield and further degrading the terrorist movement.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

Britain’s adversaries have not let Covid-19 stop them posing a risk to our citizens and allies. It is for that reason that Defence continues to take whatever steps are necessary – at home and abroad – to keep the nation safe.

The use of RAF jets and a Reaper aircraft to deliver a successful strike against Daesh terrorists and their hide out demonstrates that the UK’s Defence never sleeps and will always do what is necessary to protect our people.

Previous update

Royal Air Force aircraft have continued to fly daily armed reconnaissance missions over Iraq and eastern Syria as part of the global coalition against the Daesh terrorist movement.

On Wednesday 25 September, a pair of Typhoons responded to reports that a small group of Daesh extremists had been engaged in fighting with Iraqi security forces.

Coalition surveillance aircraft had tracked the terrorists after the engagement to a group of buildings in the desert, some forty miles west of Bayji.

The surveillance aircraft conducted a thorough check of the area for any civilians that might be placed at risk before the Typhoons attacked, using Paveway IV guided bombs to destroy the two key buildings occupied by the terrorists.

For more information see Daesh: UK government response page on GOV.UK