Coordinated Anglo-French Airstrike Strikes Islamic State Weapons Depot in the Syrian region
Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike on an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the IS group, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, located using intelligence, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was situated in hills just above the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to strike a number of access tunnels leading to the depot... early reports suggest the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the strike late on Saturday and each participating jet made a safe return, the MoD added.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established jihadist rule over large swathes of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates British leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eradicate any revival of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
RAF aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of IS after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of British forces who took part in this strike for their skill and their bravery," Healey commented. "They were part of numerous British troops stationed over the festive period. This mission, to take out terrorist threats who pose a risk to our way of life, highlights how our armed forces are ready to step up, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and influential overseas."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it described as a "large-scale strike" on Islamic State objectives in the country, following an attack claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports Islamic State still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
