The early hours of Wednesday morning [December 17th 2014] saw UK Tornados join other coalition aircraft as the peshmerga mounted a further offensive. They conducted a carefully coordinated attack, again using Paveway IV bombs, on a line of trenches, bunkers and gun emplacements constructed by ISIL between Mosul and Tal Afar in an attempt to hold up the Kurdish advance.

The same Tornado patrol then flew 150 miles south to provide support for an additional offensive against ISIL in Anbar province. They were tasked to destroy a checkpoint near Rawah, used by the terrorists to deny local people any freedom of movement along a major road.An attack was conducted with a Brimstone missile on a guard room and equipment store used by those manning the checkpoint.