Coordinated British-French Airstrike Hits Daesh Weapons Depot in Syria

Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have operated alongside French warplanes in a coordinated attack on an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, according to the British defence ministry.

The location, identified by intelligence, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was located in mountainous terrain just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.

"The RAF jets employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a number of entry passages down to the facility... initial indications suggest the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.

There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned safely, the MoD added.

The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.

The Islamic State group - referred to as ISIS - imposed extremist governance over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.

"This operation demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to eliminate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.

British military aircraft have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State after its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.

"I must thank all the members of British forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their courage," Healey added. "They were among numerous British personnel stationed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to take out dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our safety, highlights how UK forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."

Last December, the US military carried out what it called a "massive strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an ambush claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.

The United Nations reports Daesh still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.