The RAF strike force attacking Islamic State is being doubled as British war planes struck the extremists in their Syrian heartlands for the first time.
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The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights did not identify the war planes as British but said coalition jets launched raids on Jafra, Tanak and al-Omar areas in Deir al-Zor province. “These are the aircraft that the coalition have been asking for”.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence confirmed the Tornados had taken off from RAF Akrotiri.
Typhoon jet pilots, engineers and groundcrew from RAF Coningsby could be involved in carrying out raids over Syria and Iraq from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. Britain is well up the hit-list for Daesh terrorists. “Our initial analysis of the operation indicates that the strikes were successful”.
He added: “This strikes a very real blow at the oil and the revenue on which the Daesh terrorists depend”.
The West says Assad must go.
The jets carry a range of munitions including Paveway IV guided bombs and precision guided Brimstone missiles.
As the first British aircraft were sent within hours of MPs voting to back the strikes, Captain Richard Davies, of RAF Marham, told the BBC: “In over 400 air strikes that the RAF has carried out in Iraq, we have had absolutely no civilian casualties reported”.
“The operations there by the coalition have lasted just over a year and the Prime Minister has been pretty clear that this is going to be a long campaign to ensure that Daesh are thrown out of Iraq and that they are degraded and defeated in eastern Syria”.
Leader Jeremy Corbyn’s protests that the Government had failed to set out a convincing case did not persuade a significant number of his parliamentary party with 11 members of the shadow cabinet – including shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn, deputy leader Tom Watson, shadow education secretary Lucy Powell, shadow health secretary Heidi Alexander and shadow Commons leader Chris Bryant – choosing to support Mr Cameron.
“We are sadly already a target but what we have been able to do as a result of last night’s vote is we have been able to respond to the call from France to come to its aid, to the call from the United Nations to do more to suppress this terrorism, eradicate the safe haven the terrorists have and that was part of the air strikes last night”.
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Following Wednesday’s divisions in Parliament, Mr Fallon said: “We ended up with a strong and very decisive vote in favour of action and I hope everybody now will rally round that action and support the RAF in their efforts to keep our country safe”.
