Combined British-French Aerial Assault Hits Islamic State Weapons Depot in the Syrian region
Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the British defence ministry.
The location, identified by reconnaissance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just to the north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets used Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of access tunnels down to the depot... early reports indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - also known as the so-called Islamic State - enforced militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike underscores the UK's leading role, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eradicate any revival of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS after its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces participating in this mission for their skill and their bravery," Healey said. "They were part of a great many British troops on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to take out militants who threaten our safety, highlights how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, keeping Britain secure within its borders and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces conducted what it described as a "massive strike" targeting Daesh sites in the country, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in both countries.