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Update: air strikes against Daesh

23 February 2017

The RAF are continuing to take the fight to Daesh in Iraq and Syria.

Summary

- Friday 17 February – Tornados destroyed a Daesh strongpoint to the west of Kirkuk.
- Sunday 19 February – Tornados supported Iraqi troops advancing on western Mosul, attacking mortar positions to the south and north-west of the city.
- Tuesday 21 February – Typhoons demolished a Daesh causeway across the Little Zab river, whilst Tornados struck an artillery piece near Mosul, and a tunnel on the southern outskirts of the city.
- Wednesday 22 February – Tornados attacked four chokepoints on the road network leading out of western Mosul, to prevent truck-bombs and supplies being sent to hamper the Iraqi advance.

Detail

On Friday 17 February, a pair of Tornado GR4s from RAF Akrotiri conducted an armed reconnaissance patrol over northern Iraq. They were directed towards a terrorist strongpoint which had been identified some 17 miles west of Kirkuk. Having carefully checked the surrounding area for any indication of civilians who might be placed at risk, the Tornados released a single Paveway IV guided bomb which destroyed the target with a direct hit.

With the launch on Sunday 19 February of the Iraqi offensive to liberate western Mosul, Tornados formed part of the coalition air support. Our aircraft conducted two attacks during the course of their mission: a Paveway IV was used to strike a Daesh mortar position just to the south of Mosul, then a second Paveway destroyed another mortar sited to the north-west of the city – although the mortar itself was not visible to the aircrew, the impact of the Paveway caused a sizeable secondary explosion, indicating that the ammunition supply had been hit.

Other RAF aircraft carried out intensive reconnaissance patrols over both Syria and Iraq during this period, and further attacks were delivered by both Tornados and Typhoons on Tuesday 21 February. Two Typhoon FGR4s were tasked with the mission of denying Daesh the use of a causeway across the Little Zab river, a number of miles west of Kirkuk. Paveway IV guided bombs demolished not only the causeway, but also heavy machine-gun and mortar positions guarding it. The Tornados continued their operations to support the Iraqi forces advancing on western Mosul. A Daesh artillery piece, sited some 15 miles north-west of the city, opened fire on Iraqi troops. Iraqi artillery fire in return forced the terrorists manning the gun to seek shelter, and before they were able to re-crew the weapon, the Tornado flight arrived on the scene and destroyed it with a direct hit from a Paveway IV. The ammunition stockpile was also set on fire. The Tornados then patrolled over west Mosul itself, and used a second Paveway IV to collapse a tunnel entrance on the city's southern outskirts.

A further Tornado mission on Wednesday 22 February saw our aircraft use Paveway IVs to cut the road network leading out of south-west Mosul, preventing efforts by Daesh to move men and supplies, particularly their favoured truck-bomb weapons, to resist the advance of the Iraqi forces. Four key chokepoints at a major junction on the southern outskirts of the city were chosen, all at a safe distance from residential areas, and all were accurately struck by the guided bombs.

UK contribution to the fight against Daesh

Campaign against Daesh

Previous update

Wednesday 1 February: While other RAF aircraft conducted reconnaissance patrols to assess Daesh activity in Syria and Iraq, Typhoons were tasked with the destruction of a building some twenty miles west of Mosul which intelligence had identified was being used by Daesh as a staging post for the movement of extremists and equipment. A single Paveway IV sufficed to demolish the building once a very careful check had been made by the aircrew for any civilians who might be in the vicinity of the target.

Thursday 2 February: Royal Air Force Tornados, supported as ever by a Voyager air refuelling tanker, patrolled over northern Iraq. Daesh were occupying a building some 20 miles west of Kirkuk, when Tornados, after conducting a careful check against any civilians being close to the target, struck the building with a Paveway IV guided bomb.

Friday 3 February: Typhoons operated over western Mosul as Iraqi forces continued their preparations to liberate that part of the city from the terrorists. Daesh had concealed an artillery piece in an open-sided building on the southern outskirts of west Mosul, covering the approaches to the city. Again, a single Paveway IV from the Typhoons destroyed the target. Meanwhile, a pair of Tornados conducted armed reconnaissance to the north-west of Mosul, where a barge and a smaller boat had been spotted being used by the terrorists on the Tigris. Two Brimstone missiles were fired, sinking both vessels.

Sunday 5 February: Typhoons headed to a remote location some forty miles north-east of Tikrit, where a Daesh headquarters had been identified. The building and a vehicle shed were both destroyed by direct hits from Paveway IVs.

Tuesday 7 February: A group of Daesh fighters, armed with a heavy machine-gun, attempted to cross the Tigris in a boat, close to where the Tornados had sunk the river craft two days earlier. The terrorists were unaware that they were being closely tracked by coalition surveillance aircraft, and a Hellfire missile from an RAF Reaper sank the boat in mid-channel.

Wednesday 8 February: A Tornado flight used two Paveway IVs to destroy a pair of Daesh-held buildings some 20 miles south of Kirkuk. To the north-west of Mosul, a Typhoon mission supported Kurdish forces, and used a Paveway IV to strike a tunnel in which a group of extremists had taken shelter.

Saturday 11 February: As the Iraqi forces prepare for the offensive to liberate the western half of Mosul, Royal Air Force aircraft have patrolled the approaches to that part of the city, gathering intelligence and striking Daesh targets as they are identified. Two Typhoon FGR4s from RAF Akrotiri, supported by a Voyager tanker and armed with Paveway IV guided bombs, conducted a successful attack on a terrorist tunnel and bunker dug into a hillside some seven miles to the south-west of the city.

Sunday 12 February: A pair of Tornado GR4s were directed towards two Daesh cargo trucks which had been spotted five miles north-west of Mosul. The Tornados each fired a Brimstone missile, resulting in direct hits on both vehicles.

Tuesday 14 February: Careful surveillance operations allowed a building on the north-western outskirts of Mosul to be identified as a Daesh headquarters. With Iraqi forces keeping close watch from across the Tigris, a flight of Typhoons were able to conduct a highly accurate attack late at night; two Paveway IVs demolished the target.