Joint British-French Aerial Assault Hits Islamic State Weapons Depot in the Syrian region
Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the IS group, according to the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was located in mountainous terrain just above the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a several access tunnels providing entry to the facility... initial indications are that the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the strike late on Saturday and each participating jet returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - also known as the so-called Islamic State - enforced jihadist rule over parts of Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action shows British leadership, and commitment to work closely with our allies, to eradicate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
RAF aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of IS following its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of British forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their courage," he commented. "Including them were a great many British troops deployed over the holidays. This operation, to remove terrorist threats who endanger our security, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, continuously, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and influential overseas."
During December, the US military carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" on Daesh sites in Syria, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
