🔗 Share this article Combined UK-French Airstrike Strikes Islamic State Arms Cache in Syria A Typhoon FGR4 from the Royal Air Force (archive image) Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a combined operation against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD. The site, located using reconnaissance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in hills just above Palmyra in central Syria. "Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of approach shafts down to the site... initial indications are that the strike was effective," the ministry announced. There was no indication of any civilian impact in the strike on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned safely, the defence officials confirmed. The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker. The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019. "This action demonstrates our UK leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our partners, to stamp out any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked. British military aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of Islamic State subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported. "I want to thank the personnel of British forces involved in this operation for their expertise and their valour," Healey added. "They were among thousands of British troops deployed over the holidays. This mission, to take out dangerous terrorists who threaten our way of life, shows how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad." Last December, the US military executed what it described as a "massive strike" against Daesh sites in Syria, following an ambush claimed the lives of two US troops and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area. The United Nations estimates Daesh still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in both countries.
A Typhoon FGR4 from the Royal Air Force (archive image) Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a combined operation against an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD. The site, located using reconnaissance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in hills just above Palmyra in central Syria. "Our aircraft utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of approach shafts down to the site... initial indications are that the strike was effective," the ministry announced. There was no indication of any civilian impact in the strike on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned safely, the defence officials confirmed. The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker. The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019. "This action demonstrates our UK leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our partners, to stamp out any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked. British military aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of Islamic State subsequent to its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported. "I want to thank the personnel of British forces involved in this operation for their expertise and their valour," Healey added. "They were among thousands of British troops deployed over the holidays. This mission, to take out dangerous terrorists who threaten our way of life, shows how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad." Last December, the US military executed what it described as a "massive strike" against Daesh sites in Syria, following an ambush claimed the lives of two US troops and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area. The United Nations estimates Daesh still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in both countries.