A Reaper unmanned aircraft hit two terrorists in a trench at Baghuz Fawqani, while Typhoons struck four other positions.
The crew of a Reaper observed two terrorists, who were attempting to conceal their weapons under heavy cloaks, taking up position in a trench at Baghuz Fawqani on Monday the 18th of March, and successfully engaged them with a Hellfire missile.
The Ministry of Defence say that Typhoons were also patrolling the area, and they conducted an attack which struck four dispersed Islamic State positions simultaneously with Paveway IVs.
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.
The Hellfire missiles probably cost more than the target they destroyed. That’s £90,000 per missile fired. Meanwhile my Council struggles to fund home care for the elderly. The costs are clearly unsustainable.
In a lot of places like Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq that have been fought over several times, the missiles pretty much only move the rubble from one place to another.
Soon enough the Reapers will be redeployed. We will be back bombing the place within 10 years targeting ISIS Mk2, starring many of the same people. Only a local political solution will stick.
Do you really think these head choppers are interested in a “political solution”? When they are all dead, then we might get a political solution.
Why blame the military though? you could blame the big corporations that pay peanuts in tax, or the government for wasting money on vanity projects or failed projects, it’s successful governments that have wasted more money and let off big companies in tax than the cost of every missile fired.
I bet you don’t complain when you’re ordering your Starbucks, or using google on your iphone to order off Amazon, who are all experts at not paying enough tax, I bet when a friend says they know a workman who can do that work at your house cash in hand you don’t stop the guy and say, no it all needs to be legit because i want to pay VAT and him to pay TAX so it can contribute to caring for the elderly, but no instead you’re on here complaining about money spent on killing the people who slaughtered our children in Manchester two years ago, get a grip ffs.
Oh Look, Another Target for you.
On a Roll now Sole mate.
Personally I see his point, You just want to cause an Argument. Funny That.
Really, you see his point? Iqbals a troll, the sort of sad Muppet who ruins conversations and issues about the various subject matter that others find interesting. Surely you have read his posts and understand that , but if not……wow!
When they designed the Hellfire Missile did the marketing men envision it being an appropriate weapon of choice to hit just 2 terrorists or dismiss the suggestion as being ridiculous as no nation no matter how wealthy would be so profligate?
“The Hellfire missiles probably cost more than the target they destroyed. That’s £90,000 per missile fired.”
Undoubtedly.
“Meanwhile my Council struggles to fund home care for the elderly. The costs are clearly unsustainable.”
Depends what your priorities are and what you consider to be unsustainable. Many here bemoan the billions in aid or the EU yearly membership fee while our roads and public services fall apart. 90,000 per missile is chicken feed.
I would argue, as I have here before, that constantly adding to the UK’s population at a level of 300,000 plus a year, on top of an ageing population, is pretty unsustainable too. There are only so many people one can fit in a room.
“In a lot of places like Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq that have been fought over several times, the missiles pretty much only move the rubble from one place to another.”
Maybe for carpet bombing, cluster bombs, unguided rockets. But precision guided LGB and missiles, with our people with strict rules of engagement? No.
“Soon enough the Reapers will be redeployed. We will be back bombing the place within 10 years targeting ISIS Mk2, starring many of the same people.”
Well no, because the people we are targeting will all be dead if they are actively setting IED’s, beheading people, raping and crucifying Christians, burning pilots alive in a cage, and other horrors.
“Only a local political solution will stick.”
I agree!! But who is going to organise that?
Just a side note on the new comment system, it seems to have slowed the whole thing down, took me ages to write that reply as it will not accept the speed of my typing previously?
Will tweak settings but that’s part of the anti-spam measures I think, it’s certainly cut the number of spam comments we need to wade through by a huge amount.
‘Well no, because the people we are targeting will all be dead’.
I’m afraid I am old enough to remember General Westmorland saying similar things about Vietnam!
Ha, You watched the Film.
Share with us your Service History mate.
There is no political solution with the likes of Daesh. They don’t want a political solution, they just want to rule a celibate with an iron fist in the name of Islam and kill anyone who doesn’t follow their rules or believe what they do.
The Taliban are similar; they aren’t interested at all in power sharing or democracy. They want to rules Afghanistan as a totalitarian Islamic nation. They only ever agree to talks to get the Western armies to back off as they know that they can better fight against Afghan military alone.
The Hellfire missiles, and the likes of Brimstone, are expensive for a reason. That reason is accuracy and limiting collateral damage and civilian casualties as much as possible. Civilian casualties sadly will always happen, but far fewer than if we chucked around dumb bombs which are far cheaper, as the Russians are doing.
Err, I think that they want to rule a caliphate….Mind you a celibate would be far more effective as they would all die out for certain!
Yes, well spotted! Lol.
Bloody autocorrect lol!
I agree, political considerstions aside this looks crazy. I’m sure cheaper LMM variant could do the job. But there would be the cost of intgrating it onto the Reaper.
What about Brimstone…it is smaller and designed for small moving targets like pick-ups. Is it not cheaper than Hellfire?
Dunno. Did a bit of googling without success. I thought I might make a freedom of information request to find out how much various missiles cost e.g. the contract for 1000 LMM for example must be in the public domain right?
More piffle from the troll, surely you have a Gary Glitter DVD to watch or something son?
If the military is deployed in any way we cannot count the monetary costs of deployment which is focused on getting the job done as efficiently and with less casualties as possible. If we cannot afford to do the job the most efficient way we shouldnt be there. Im interested in ensuring that our military has the best and latest equipment available not the politics that is another matter completely.
You cant kill an ideology with bombs, so this is just a money pit that will never end. Its the whole Islamic faith that needs an overhaul (which will never happen in our life times)
Having said that, Id rather a Reaper hits them than put our men and women in harms way.