Britain and France carry out airstrikes on terrorist weapons depot in Syria
London (The Uttam Hindu): Britain and France have carried out a strike on terrorist hideouts inside Syria in a joint operation. Fighter jets bombed a suspected underground weapons depot of the Islamic State group in Syria. The British Ministry of Defense said in a statement that no civilian was harmed in the attack and all the aircraft returned safely after the operation. The Islamic State group (Daesh terrorist organization) is trying to re-emerge in Syria, which had captured parts of Syria till 2019. To stop this, Britain carried out the operation in collaboration with France.
The UK Ministry of Defence said, "Royal Air Force aircraft continue to patrol over Syria to prevent any potential resurgence of the Daesh terrorist group following its military defeat in March 2019. Careful intelligence analysis identified an underground hideout in the mountains a few miles north of the key site of Palmyra. This hideout was occupied by Daesh and used to store weapons and explosives. There are no civilian settlements in the vicinity of the hideout."
Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4S fighter jets attacked the underground hideout on the evening of January 3 in a joint operation with French aircraft. The aircraft used Paveway-4 guided bombs to target several tunnels leading to the hideout. The Ministry of Defence said in a statement that initial indications are that the fighters successfully hit the target. The Ministry of Defence shared a video showing the jets receiving fuel support from a Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker.
Defence Secretary John Healey said, "This operation demonstrates our UK leadership and our firm resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies to stamp out the resurgence of Daesh and its dangerous and violent ideology in the Middle East. I thank all members of our forces involved in this operation for their skill and courage."
He added, "They were among thousands of British soldiers deployed over Christmas and New Year. This operation to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our way of life demonstrates how our military remains ready all year round to keep Britain safe at home and strong abroad."