Britain fighter jets start Iraq mission
Iran Press TV
Sat Sep 27, 2014 4:44PM GMT
Britain's Ministry of Defense says the first set of British warplanes have taken off to carry out airstrikes over Iraq following a move by the UK parliament to approve airstrikes targeting ISIL terrorists in the Arab country.
British Tornado GR4 aircraft took off from the Royal Air Force (RAF) in Akrotiri, Cyprus, on Saturday to fly to Iraq, as the US-led coalition continues targeting ISIL militants in the country.
"[The warplanes] are now ready to be used in an attack role as and when appropriate targets are identified," the British Ministry of Defense confirmed.
The statement comes a day after British lawmakers voted in favor of a motion that calls for the UK air force to join the US-led coalition.
The motion allows the Royal Air Force to attack ISIL positions in Iraq.
Prime Minister David Cameron warned that the drive against the ISIL could last for years, during a campaign of "patience and persistence, not shock and awe."
The United States began striking ISIL positions in Iraq in August. On September 23, the US and its Arab allies started targeting ISIL positions in Syria as well.
France recently joined the United States and the five Arab countries - Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Jordan - in carrying out airstrikes against ISIL in Syria.
The CIA spy agency estimates that the ISIL has up to 31,000 terrorists in Iraq and Syria.
The ISIL Takfiris control large areas of Syria's east and north. They sent militants into Iraq in June, seizing large parts of land straddling the border between Syria and Iraq.
GMA/HJL/SS
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