Combined Anglo-French Airstrike Hits Daesh Arms Cache in Syria
Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with France's air force in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the IS group, as stated by the British defence ministry.
The facility, located using reconnaissance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was located in mountainous terrain just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a series of access tunnels leading to the depot... early reports indicate the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack late on Saturday and all the aircraft made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - referred to as ISIS - established jihadist rule over parts of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and resolve to operate in unison with our allies, to eliminate any revival of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," Britain's Defence Chief the minister stated.
UK warplanes have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS following its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank the personnel of the UK armed forces involved in this strike for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "They were among thousands of British troops deployed over the holidays. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, highlights how British military are prepared to act, continuously, protecting the UK within its borders and strong abroad."
In December, the US military conducted what it called a "large-scale strike" on Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an assault resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN says IS still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
