Coordinated British-French Air Strike Targets Daesh Weapons Depot in Syria
RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a combined operation targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was located in mountains just above Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several approach shafts leading to the site... preliminary assessments are that the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced extremist governance over parts of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action underscores British leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eliminate any re-emergence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
RAF aircraft have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS following its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of our armed forces participating in this operation for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "They were among thousands of British troops deployed over the holidays. This operation, to take out terrorist threats who endanger our way of life, shows how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the US military carried out what it called a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in Syria, following an attack killed two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations says Daesh still has roughly 5-7 thousand militants in both countries.
