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Update: air strikes against Daesh

10 October 2017

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

Summary

- Monday 25 September – a Reaper engaged four Daesh targets near Dayr az Zawr, whilst Typhoons attacked a fifth in the same area.
- Wednesday 27 September – a Reaper killed several terrorists near Dayr az Zawr; Tornados and Typhoons struck eight targets in Iraq near Ramadi, including a convoy of trucks carrying a large number of extremists.
- Thursday 28 September – a Reaper attacked three Daesh targets near Dayr az Zawr, while Tornados hit a command group south of Kirkuk.
- Friday 29 September – Tornados and Typhoons hit four terrorist positions south of Kirkuk, and a headquarters near Tikrit.
- Saturday 30 September – Tornados destroyed a truck-bomb factory in western Iraq.
- Monday 2 October – a Reaper struck a group of terrorists engaged in combat with Syrian Democratic Forces near Dayr az Zawr, Syria.
- Wednesday 4 October – Typhoons assisted in the liberation of Hawijah, destroying a Daesh mortar team and truck-bomb, while Tornados destroyed another truck-bomb near Bayji.
- Thursday 5 October – Typhoons attacked a terrorist base in eastern Syria.
- Friday 6 October – a Reaper hit three groups of extremists near Dayr az Zawr, whilst Tornados eliminated another group inside Raqqa.
- Saturday 7 October – Typhoons destroyed three Daesh positions in Raqqa.

Detail

A Royal Air Force Reaper remotely piloted aircraft patrolled some miles to the north-east of Dayr az Zawr in Syria on Monday 25 September. Its crew tracked two terrorists and conducted a successful attack with a Hellfire missile, then struck a Daesh-held building with a GBU-12 guided bomb. A second Hellfire was employed against a group of terrorists on foot, and a third destroyed a truck carrying more extremists. Two Typhoons flew a mission in the same area and, assisted by the Reaper, delivered an attack with a Paveway IV guided bomb on a position from which rocket-propelled grenades had been fired.

On Wednesday 27 September, a Reaper continued operations north-east of Dayr az Zawr, where it used a pair of Hellfires against a dispersed group of terrorists armed with rocket-propelled grenades. In Iraq, Tornados and Typhoons responded to reports of Daesh activity several miles south-east of Ramadi. Two groups of terrorists on foot were hit with Paveway IVs, as was a further group manning a trench. A convoy of trucks carrying a large number of terrorists had also been spotted, and our aircraft tracked down and attacked five of these vehicles using a combination of Paveways and Brimstone missiles.

North-east of Dayr az Zawr, a Reaper delivered three attacks on Thursday 28 September: Hellfire missiles hit a sniper team and another group of terrorists, whilst a GBU-12 was used to demolish a Daesh-held building. In northern Iraq, Tornados conducted a simultaneous attack with a Paveway IV and a Brimstone on a local terrorist command group who had been identified south of Kirkuk.

Tornados and Typhoons flew further missions south of Kirkuk the following day, when they hit a number of terrorists concealed in woodland, two entrenched positions, and a Daesh-held building. Our aircraft also used a single Paveway IV to destroy a small headquarters located in the hills to the north-east of Tikrit.

On Saturday 30 September, two Tornados, armed with Paveway IVs, destroyed a truck-bomb factory located on the southern bank of the Euphrates in western Iraq.

With Syrian Democratic Forces continuing to fight Daesh to the north-east of Dayr az Zawr, a Royal Air Force Reaper remotely piloted aircraft flew overwatch on Monday 2 October. An SDF unit reported being engaged in close combat with several terrorists, and the Reaper's crew intervened, successfully targeting the extremists with a Hellfire missile attack.

A flight of Typhoons supported Iraqi forces as they advanced to liberate Hawijah on Wednesday 4 October. Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to remove two threats which the Iraqi troops encountered: a terrorist mortar team, and a truck-bomb which was blocking a road to the north-east of the town. Meanwhile, a pair of Tornados were tasked to deal with a second truck-bomb which had been positioned by terrorists to the north-east of Bayji. The vehicle was destroyed by a direct hit from a Brimstone missile.

Intelligence had confirmed that a group of three buildings in eastern Syria, some forty miles south-east of Hasakah and close to a border crossing into Iraq, was being used as a base by Daesh. Two Typhoons conducted a carefully planned attack on Thursday 5 October, each of the three buildings being struck with a Paveway IV.

The following day, a Reaper again patrolled north-east of Dayr az Zawr; its crew delivered attacks with Hellfire missiles on three groups of terrorists, including one manning a heavy weapon, and also supported two further strikes by coalition aircraft. Two Tornados supported the Syrian Democratic Forces inside Raqqa as they cleared remaining terrorist positions in the north-west of the city. Despite the SDF being very close to the target, the Tornados delivered a precision attack with a Paveway on a Daesh group firing from a building.

On Saturday 7 October, Typhoons also operated over Raqqa, and bombed three further terrorist positions in the north-west of the city.

UK contribution to the fight against Daesh

Campaign against Daesh

Previous update

Saturday 23 September: Our aircraft were particularly active over northern Iraq. Typhoons destroyed a truck-bomb west of Hawijah, a terrorist-held building 30 miles west-north-west of Kirkuk, and a mortar team, that was firing on Iraqi forces, in the hills south-west of Zawiyyah. A second Typhoon flight successfully bombed a weapons stockpile south-east of Hawijah, then conducted a simultaneous attack on four truck-bombs blocking one of the routes of advance towards the town. Near Sudayrah, Tornados used one Paveway to destroy a pair of truck-bombs, a second Paveway to knock-out an armed truck, then a third such weapon south-east of Sharqat against a Daesh building. Another Tornado flight bombed a command post south-east of Hawijah, then used a combination of Brimstone missiles and Paveway IVs to destroy a shipping container and three truck-bombs blocking other roads into Hawijah.

Sunday 24 September: a Reaper kept watch over the area north-east of Dayr az Zawr in Syria, and used a Hellfire missile to destroy a truck-bomb. Over northern Iraq, Tornados demolished a Daesh-held building in Zawiyyah with a Paveway IV.