Combined Anglo-French Airstrike Strikes Daesh Weapons Depot in the Syrian region
Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with France's air force in a joint strike against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK's MoD.
The location, identified by intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was situated in mountainous terrain just north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets used Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a number of access tunnels leading to the site... initial indications are that the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the operation on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - also known as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over large swathes of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and determination to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any revival of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State following its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank all the members of our armed forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their valour," the Defence Secretary added. "They were part of thousands of British troops on duty over the festive period. This operation, to take out dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, demonstrates how UK forces are prepared to act, all year round, protecting the UK within its borders and strong abroad."
Last December, the American forces executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" against Islamic State objectives in the country, after an attack claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports IS still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.