Combined British-French Aerial Assault Strikes IS Munitions Store in Syria
RAF Typhoon jets have joined forces with France's air force in a coordinated attack against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was located in hills just above Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a series of approach shafts down to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack conducted Saturday night and every plane involved made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - referred to as ISIS - established jihadist rule over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action demonstrates British leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eradicate any revival of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
UK warplanes have performed patrols over Syria to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of the group following its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of our armed forces participating in this mission for their skill and their bravery," Healey added. "They were among numerous British troops deployed over the holidays. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, demonstrates how British military are prepared to act, continuously, ensuring Britain's security domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the United States armed forces executed what it termed a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in the country, after an assault resulted in the deaths of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports IS still has between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.