Joint UK-French Aerial Assault Hits Daesh Munitions Store in Syria
RAF Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack on an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK's MoD.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was situated in mountainous terrain just above the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a number of approach shafts down to the depot... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the operation late on Saturday and every plane involved returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
Daesh - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation demonstrates British leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State following its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of our armed forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," he commented. "They were among thousands of British personnel stationed over the festive period. This action, to remove militants who threaten our safety, shows how UK forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and powerful internationally."
Last December, the US military carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting IS targets in Syria, following an assault resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
