Over Syria, a pair of Typhoon jets supported Syrian forces as they fought to secure Manbij.
A number of buildings on the south-western edge of the town had been fortified by Islamic State as a major defensive position.
These were successfully struck by the Typhoon aircraft, using eight Paveway IV guided bombs, despite the proximity of the moderate Syrian forces.
Operation Shader is the operational code name given to the British participation in the ongoing military intervention against the Islamic State.
The operation began in Iraq on the 26th of September 2014, following a formal request for assistance by the Iraqi government.
Prior to this, the Royal Air Force had been engaged in a humanitarian relief effort over Mount Sinjar, which involved multiple aid airdrops by transport aircraft and the airlifting of displaced refugees. By October 2014, the intervention had extended onto Syria with the Royal Air Force only mandated to conduct surveillance flights over the country.
In December 2015, the House of Commons approved British airstrikes against IS in Syria. The UK is one of several countries directly involved in the ongoing Syrian conflict that started in March 2011.
By June 2016, the Ministry of Defence had announced that over 1,000 personnel were engaged in theater and that the Royal Air Force had conducted around 900 airstrikes, flying over 2,200 sorties, killing almost 1,000 Islamic State fighters.
WOW! I’m impressed we even had eight paveway IV bombs the way the RAF – and the military as a whole – has been hollowed out of late! I thought we were dropping strongly worded letters instead!