Combined UK-French Aerial Assault Targets Daesh Munitions Store in Syria
RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), according to the UK's MoD.
The facility, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was located in hills just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to target a number of approach shafts down to the depot... initial indications indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as Daesh - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action shows British leadership, and resolve to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any resurgence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of Islamic State following its routing at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to every member of the UK armed forces participating in this strike for their skill and their courage," he said. "They were part of thousands of British troops deployed over the holidays. This mission, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our security, shows how British military are ready to step up, continuously, keeping Britain secure at home and influential overseas."
Last December, the US military carried out what it described as a "major assault" targeting Daesh sites in the country, after an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says Islamic State still has between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.