🔗 Share this article Joint Anglo-French Airstrike Hits IS Munitions Store in Syria An RAF Typhoon FGR4 (file pic) RAF Typhoon jets have operated alongside French warplanes in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the IS group, according to the UK Ministry of Defence. The facility, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountains just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region. "Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a number of approach shafts down to the site... initial indications suggest the strike was effective," the MoD said. There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the attack late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned safely, the defence officials confirmed. The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager tanker plane. IS - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced jihadist rule over parts of both Syria and Iraq until 2019. "This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked. British military aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of IS subsequent to its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said. "I must thank all the members of the UK armed forces who took part in this operation for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary added. "They were part of numerous British troops on duty over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our safety, highlights how UK forces are always on standby, all year round, keeping Britain secure at home and influential overseas." During December, the American forces conducted what it termed a "large-scale strike" on Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an assault claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra. The U.N. estimates Daesh still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in both countries.
An RAF Typhoon FGR4 (file pic) RAF Typhoon jets have operated alongside French warplanes in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the IS group, according to the UK Ministry of Defence. The facility, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountains just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region. "Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a number of approach shafts down to the site... initial indications suggest the strike was effective," the MoD said. There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the attack late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned safely, the defence officials confirmed. The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager tanker plane. IS - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced jihadist rule over parts of both Syria and Iraq until 2019. "This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any re-emergence of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked. British military aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of IS subsequent to its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said. "I must thank all the members of the UK armed forces who took part in this operation for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary added. "They were part of numerous British troops on duty over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our safety, highlights how UK forces are always on standby, all year round, keeping Britain secure at home and influential overseas." During December, the American forces conducted what it termed a "large-scale strike" on Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an assault claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra. The U.N. estimates Daesh still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in both countries.