Typhoon jets supported the Syrian Democratic Forces attacking Islamic State in Baghuz Fawqani, striking dispersed terrorist positions, and destroying a large truck-bomb.

On Tuesday the 12th March, the Ministry of Defence say that the SDF came into contact with Islamic State in dispersed positions, and two Typhoon FGR4s conducted a series of three attacks, using a total of four Paveway IV guided bombs, which successfully silenced the terrorists’ fire.

In addition, a large number of vehicles had been abandoned in the area of the fighting, and one large truck in their midst was identified as booby-trapped with an improvised explosive device.

The Typhoons were able to pick out and safely destroy this truck-bomb with a single Brimstone 2 missile, say the MoD.

Background on Operation Shader

This section is intended to provide a bit of background on British efforts in the region and if you’ve read it before, please remember others may not have.

By September last year, the Ministry of Defence had announced that over 1,000 personnel were engaged in theatre and that the Royal Air Force had conducted around 1,000 airstrikes, flying over 2,800 sorties, killing over 3,000 Islamic State fighters.

Last year, it was reported that the Royal Air Force was operating at its most intense for 25 years in a single theatre of operation which far outstripped the UK involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan – RAF jets have dropped 11 times more bombs (1,276 strikes) on Syria and Iraq in the preceding 12 months than they had in the busiest year of action in Afghanistan a decade previously.

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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79 COMMENTS

        • You’re the reason that remark is in the story. You’re free to stop visiting if you prefer, we do this website as a project we’re passionate about. Can you do better? If so, submit something or start you’re own website but either way stop whinging.

        • You’ve really burned me this time Paul, I’m just too fragile to recover from your absolutely razor sharp wit. Can’t believe you were so cruel, calling out the re-use of press releases I can understand but mocking crap photoshop images, it’s time to shut down the website now! Shoo.

  3. RGR

    You know against GOD you can never win….

    Be grateful for what God gives you! I certainly am!

    As for articles, I remember our Geoffrey submitted one and it was very good I thought, tempted to have a go myself, not sure on what though.

      • Oh, Dare we ask Why ?
        just asking as I’ve not really seen anything Offensive or Nasty posted from RGR , just Witty and sometimes Sarky Comments. Yet We have had some really antagonistic and downright Offensive comments from a small section of others here for a while.

        George, I have 6 Forums on different Media and I’d welcome RGR on any of them truth be known.

        • His last comment after I accused him of whinging was quite abusive towards me personally and you can imagine how little tolerance I have for that on a self-funded project I run and write for in order to relax. I’m frequently mentioned in his comments, searching through the last three months there are snide remarks on 15 of his 122 comments directed directly at me.

          Honestly, I see no reason to put up with that.

          • No, That’s fair enough George but from what I saw, He was just trying to be Humourous mostly. Personally I respect your position and It’s always difficult to Moderate a site like this, especially when things are taken out of context but I really don’t think RGR had been that aggressive towards you.

            Didn’t see the last offending post though.

            Please keep going though, Many of us love coming here and adding our little bit.

          • Calling me pathetic, a plagiarist, mediocre amongst other nasty remarks. He crossed the line in my view.

          • Yeah he had it coming really, turning this site into a farce, more like a Facebook comments section on here over the last couple of months.

            Desperately trying to turn every single subject into a joke with the other one.

            I have noticed decent posters who liked to get into the detail of defence subjects rarely comment, or at least not as much as they used to, why would they when they have to scroll down past absolute garbage from a few people acting like 10 year old’s.

            It would of been all well if he kept it to himself and the other people who did it with him, but constantly making jokes taking the piss under anybody, some people just want to come on here for a read and a debate about defence issues, not the piss taken out of them.

          • As someone who has read pretty much every post over the last two or three years and usually the comment section as well, I’d like to say that something has definitely changed over the last few months. I rarely comment myself but I remember when I was first getting interested with this stuff there were always the regulars offering insightful comments. Often I would click on an article I didn’t care much about just to see what more experienced people thought of the issue. But recently I have noticed more and more bickering between sets of two apparent mortal enemies. The moment one comments the other replies with an equally snarky comment. Now I’m not saying I’m an angel but I am willing to bet that I’m younger than almost all of the visible regulars on this site. ( I can tell by some of the language you use hehe). But yet here I am witnessing a bunch of bickering (middle aged?) people?
            As ironic as it is for me to say this: GROW UP!!!!

          • Well, what can anyone say to the C–T word ? Over to you George.

            If those are the sort of Comments that you accept here, without taking offence or banning the obvious offensive and otherwise disagreeable Troll like Persons you allow on here , then you’ll probably see a lot less of us others here. truth be known.

            For me personally, I’d be happy to be Banned and take the occasional look In just to be able to see how the Trolls have taken over a once great site.

          • With all due respect, I’m still in hospital and don’t have much time to read through everything (we’re looking at a new comment system to make all of this easier). I value reading your comments, please don’t jump the gun and assume that because something hadn’t yet been removed I condone it. Because I haven’t responded to something doesn’t mean I allow it, it means I haven’t seen it.

            We get hundreds of comments per day, it would be a full time job just moderating those. I’ll try and improve the comment system, if anyone has any ideas then I’m all ears.

          • Just having a look in. Yup, Loving the Down Votes.
            Shame we can’t see the Voters though.

          • I always wondered how you moderate so many posts.
            Another site I used to contribute to, a football one, has regular posters acting as moderators themselves, so if anything offensive or aggressive can be deleted quickly?

          • It’s mostly automatic, everyone needs to have a few posts manually approved before they become auto-approved.

          • Well. For all the rights and wrongs of the comments and moderation it has sadly all gone a bit nasty today.

            Thank for deleting the above aggressive posts towards me, there was no need for it.

            No Captain.

            I enjoy watching and reading about football as well as politics and our military. I am also a semi professional artist, a gardener, and care for wildlife in my spare time.

            Blown your perceptions of me….? what did you imagine? Some shaven headed thug with “no education” as someone keeps posting.

          • Lol, Yup.

            Actually no Mate. i too like Football, despite being a lifelong Spurs Supporter (For my Sins). Politics are not really my thing as I just think those who choose to have a career in that field are just trying to avoid real work.
            The Military bit Is fine by me. It’s been a big part of my life.
            Artist ? Yup, I can live with that, I’m a bit that way too.
            Gardener / well I was once but not too able due to injury but still manage to grow stuff, like really hot Chillies.
            Wildlife ? Yes Deffo mate.

            Often up on the Moors, Dartmoor and Exmoor, under the Stars or a Tarp. It’s a Stealth thing.

            Blown my Perceptions ? Not particularly mate , No.

            Shaven Headed Thug? well no, I had you down as an Affro Rastifarian, or similar.

  5. On that note, I’m off, Thanks for all the fun RGR, DM, Mr Bell, Lusty, Ron, Ron5, LeeH, Lee1, Baz, Etc,Etc,Etc,Etc,Etc.

    • On that note? You gave me less than half an hour to notice a comment. If that’s enough to make you leave then that’s your choice.

      I genuinely do not understand what people expect of less than a handful of people trying to run a website in their free time. I think we need a better comment section, I’m sorry you’ll not be part of it but each to their own.

      • Yup, Still here as I wen’t for a Wee ! and left the site open, George, I’m not picking a fight here mate, I actually love your site and all your efforts but sometimes all I see here are comments deliberately designed to wind other posters up. See Herodotus and Sole Survivors latest offerings. Some of us see through all that crap and have to respond to their idiotic and blatant comments rather than just accept their Shite. It’s the same on most Forums, there are always a few who just visit to cause offence or wind the other members up.

        Daniele Mandelli Is a true Asset to this site. please don’t ban him for any reason.

        Feel free to look back at Herodotus and TH’s History though, maybe you’d see that RGR wasn’t so bad.

        • I didn’t think you were looking for a fight honestly, I suppose part of me is frustrated that the comments section has turned this way. I’ll be putting together a feedback sort of thing in a few days to look at how best to fix the comments section and make it harder for trolls to flourish. Would you be okay for me to e-mail you about this at the time?

          • On FFS, Fantasy Football Scout, there is a tab you can press which highlights troll, offensive, aggressive content to the moderator without having to trawl through the whole lot.

            Would that sort of thing help, or even be feasible with your set up George?

        • I have been posting here for three years, see your debate about sweets the other week, I had a debate that long with a lad who contributed an article on geopolitics on here a year ago, I have had debates writing essays to Chris H about British politics, long debates with others about the Typhoon, F-35 all kinds of subjects, so please do not put me in the same league as TH, who as far as i can, the only resident troll there has ever been on here.

          The thing that sticks out in your latest offerings was when you and RGR treated a subject like rape and abuse as a joke the other week.

          Or the way you both treated Ulya when she started posting on here.

          You would actually see that most of the time it’s people responding to your idiotic and blatant comments.

          • OK Sole, Please actually state some Facts about my Post. You Didn’t then and you can’t now. Forgive me for daring to ask why we have 150 Male on Male offences in the Armed forces but don’t you ever disrespect my right to free speech on this subject.
            If you want my opinion, You are the Blatent idiot on here. despite your claim to be special due to your claim to be here for longer than anyone else.
            I take Huge offence to your Rape comment btw, You’ll never know why though.
            And You are totally Naive in your reference to my comments to Ulya, Borderline Thick.

            Thanks for reigniting your personal vendetta against me though.
            Very telling/Troll like.

          • I would say that I do not think SoleSurvivor is a troll. I utterly disagree with his politics and I think he can be a little too defensive sometimes but that does not make a troll. We have to be careful about declaring people trolls when in fact they are just expressing opinions that we disagree with. There are clear trolls on here peddling pro Russian views and those are the ones we need to deal with.

          • captain P Wash March 29, 2019 at 08:23
            I’ve been sat here for ages just trying to actually Type something PC. but It’s Hard to ignore the Voices in my Head (Just thought i’d chuck that in for use as ammo, later) all shouting the Bloody Obvious answer to the Above report.

            captain P Wash March 29, 2019 at 11:20

            It’s a “Touchy Subject”.

            captain P Wash March 29, 2019 at 11:43

            Bugger me Backwards (oops,) Hero, You just seem to be surrounded by People with Attitude towards you.

            hmmmn.

            I am sure people who have been the victims of that would also take offence to you making a mockery of it. You know people who are not laugh a minute comedians like yourself, might of been lads who wanted to speak about it and then they saw your comments at the top of the comments section.

            And It was you who commented underneath my post, directed at me last week, so believe me i have no personal vendetta against you.

            I don’t claim to be special, I pointed out that I have been here a while and commented significantly, meaning I am not on here for the benefit of a wind up or to “troll” anybody.

          • Trolling of the finest Order there Sole.

            Obviously you have no Personal Vendetta mate. I can see that all too well.

  7. This is all very sad things have turned like this. We are like a kind of weird family on here, sometimes having fun, sometimes serious and then the occasional heated exchange. But it all seems to have turned a bit sour. I think it has turned a little silly on here recently, of which I may be a little guilty, and would agree it may be putting off the more serious commentators which I personally rely on to build my knowledge. People like Gunbuster who’s knowledge of everything often astounds me, and Danielle’s ability to real off random regiments I’ve never heard of.
    Can we agree to be a bit more serious, and also more tolerant of each other’s opinions and varying knowledge levels. Gently educate rather than mock. Ignore the trolls, literally just don’t respond. We are all here for a shared interest that should be fun, not this.

    • Sounds like a good recipe for progress. We live in fractious times and I must admit that I have been slightly more forthright than I usually am! Last week’s comments about rape in the army were inexcusable…I was one of the first to comment on this and have been labelled a troll. When another contributor joined in, there was a dramatic back-peddling by both CPW and RGR. I don’t think that this is what people want to see on this site. We have had some massive arguments on Brexit which is to be expected….however, turning it into a right-wing boys club is not what this site ought to be about!

      • Herodotus.

        You were trolling me above! And were deleted for it! How dare you insult my education like you did. How DARE you. You do not know me from Adam! I have tried on several occasions to be civilised to you, and we have talked quite normally before, about your ship, your career, engineering interests, and even the “rape” comments the other day we were exchanging views correctly!
        I even held out the olive branch weeks and weeks back and offered to ban all political whispers but you never took me up on it! I can go back and find that comment if you wish. So don’t you dare try and take the moral high ground with me Mr anonymous as I use my real name and have tried to be nice, and am happy to be so again.

        • My comments are not against you directly; however, you support some pretty poor contributors. Why you do so, is your concern. If you end up taking some flak for it, that is your lookout. Choose your friends more carefully!

          • Because I am a NICE person who has a SOH. Those commentators, whatever they have said to you or others, have said nothing derogatory, nasty or aggressive towards me.

            Unlike you.

            And being a “poor” contributor is a matter of opinion.

            “you end up taking some flak for it, that is your lookout. ”

            Only from you, which I will continue to highlight. No one else. No one.

            Olive branch offered and refused, for all to see, as I expected.

            Please ignore my posts and I will so happily ignore yours, your not on the same level as Sole in my view I’m afraid.

  8. Just a quick comment in support of the site in general and the plan to incorporate an improved commenting capability. Commenting systems can get quite sophisticated with up/down voting, text formatting, bulleting, image and gif attachments etc, but I’d suggest that just a simple ability to request email notification when someone responds to one’s comment, like SaveTheRoyalNavy, plus an ability for commenters to flag inappropriate posts would go a long way to making the site both more engaging and perhaps a little easier to moderate.

  9. – rolls eyes –

    Well, I do think there is a fine line between having a bit of a joke about the state of our nations military affairs and laying our insults to each other. I admit I do come here for the comments – both the informative ones and those who make light of the situation. Everyone’s mostly friendly, with some fantastic contributors from all aspects of society represented. Now, I can’t really claim to be one of those myself -I’m probably too bias towards the navy for my own good- but I enjoy contributing to some of the debates when they occur.

    I’m not going to take a side on this one, however. As I have not seen the comments, I do not think this is right. If they really were attacking the article, then that in itself is wrong. I am of the belief that these Op Shader posts should be collated into a more detailed article published fortnightly, perhaps with a little more information about the units and aircraft types involved. Maybe a focus article on the SAR capabilities deployed at Akrotiri too? Apologies if that’s not how UKDJ sees it, but as the reader, this is just a suggestion.

    I’d like to appeal to everyone to ignore the trolls. We don’t even need to say their names, you know who they are. Don’t engage with them, just ignore them.

    -exhales- Anyway, all of that said, well done to the pilots and ground crew involved in these latest strikes. I’m aware IS has left an untold number of mines behind, so the destruction of one is one less to worry about. IS haven’t gone away – pockets of fighting still exist and the ideology itself is going to take a while to kill. Until then, I think it’s only right that we continue to play a role.

    • I too have found myself trying to parse out what is new and what is not in some “deja vu” articles. However, the new format with a clear Backgrounder section, whether it is on Op Shader or any other content, is IMHO a good move because it provides context for the drive-by visitor to the site, who may not be a regular reader or indeed even particularly up to speed on military topics in general.

  11. I guess we all take different things from the site according to what you want to read – personally i only add something when i have something usefull to add or i feel the need to respond a some nugget with an ill thought comment (such as Marc comment about Italians). some of the chit chat between RGR and the Cap is interesting, some plain pointless and most somewhere in between – but i as everyone has the choice, if you dont like then dont read but if you step in then be prepared for some return fire.

    Banter and black humour is what makes us as a socitey, some will cringe a bit, others will be offended and some wont care.

    A small section deliberately seek out friction and actively set out to wind people up – to me they are just background clutter and should be simply ignored.

    Its a shame that it has come to actual ill feeling and antagonism – George does a damn good job for which he gives up his own time and energy.

    Some will notice that some of the better informed contributors such as Gunbuster are commenting less and less – we have to ask ourselves if the wise owls are being discouraged by the noisy starlings (i just made that up).

    i also echo TS comment below – its nice to be nice

    The real danger is this site is taken over by noisy keyboard heroes whio drown out some of the real life heroes that we are priveliged to have as contributors.

  12. On the range thing I would love to see a cost comparison of per-sortie prices for a French CdG-based Syria mission (as the French were doing in 2016) vs an RAF Akrotiri-launched one where the later presumably involves a fair bit of AAR support.

    People tend to talk about the cost of our carriers but I often wonder about the extent of the cost savings that we will ultimately be able to credit to the other side of the equation to reflect future savings arising from lower per-sortie costs when the carriers allow us to get our aircraft closer to a target area.

    • Afternoon Julian. Not seen you here in a while.

      In Libya that was one criticism of GR4 operations, both from the UK direct and from Italy.

      • Afternoon Daniele. Yeah, I got a bit busy with a few things including the bl*#!y gas engineer refusing to service my boiler because one tiny bit of plastic at the very end of the flue got broken off and apparently that means the whole end section of the flue needs replacing so trying to get less-extortionate quotes to get that fixed. Grrrr…. Maybe that’s why I’ve got financial implications of stuff on my mind at the moment.

        Looks like I missed a few fun and games on here while I was away!

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