Coordinated Anglo-French Air Strike Targets IS Arms Cache in the Syrian region
RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French warplanes in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK's MoD.
The location, located using surveillance, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in hills just above the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a number of entry passages down to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - referred to as ISIS - established militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation shows British leadership, and commitment to work closely with our allies, to eradicate any re-emergence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary the minister said.
British military aircraft have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of the UK armed forces involved in this strike for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of thousands of UK service members on duty over the holidays. This action, to take out dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our way of life, shows how UK forces are ready to step up, all year round, ensuring Britain's security domestically and influential overseas."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it described as a "massive strike" against Daesh sites in the country, following an attack killed two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports Daesh still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.