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Royal Air Force Typhoons have carried out airstrikes against Daesh held cave systems in Iraq using Paveway IV precision guided bombs.
The strikes occurred following a coalition surveillance aircraft located a number of Daesh fighters in two caves ten miles north of Bayji on Sunday 24th January. Two RAF Typhoon aircraft were tasked to strike the caves. The Typhoons launched four Paveway IV guided bombs and successfully struck their targets, eliminating the terrorist threat.
“The UK Armed Forces are still maintaining their primary defence tasks while also supporting the domestic Covid response. These RAF strikes help maintain the pressure on Daesh and prevent them once again inflicting their twisted ideology on the people of Iraq.”
Ben Wallace
Defence Secretary
Prior to launching their weapons, the Typhoon pilots conducted a careful check of the area around the caves, which were a mile and a half apart, for any signs of civilians who might be at risk, before conducting simultaneous attacks.
All four of the Paveway IV guided bombs struck their targets accurately and the strike was assessed to have been a success in eliminating the terrorist threat.
The RAF’s armed reconnaissance missions support the enduring work of the Iraqi security forces to prevent any resurgence of the Daesh terrorist movement within their country as part of Op Shader, the UK contribution to the US led international Counter Daesh operation.
Op Shader continues despite the global impact of the COVID-19 virus pandemic and appropriate precautions have been introduced to allow the operation to continue.
