Reaper unmanned aircraft and Tornado jets conduct strikes

A Reaper recently engaged a group of Islamic State extremists south-east of Hajin, whilst Tornado jets struck two workshops making IEDs.

The next day, Saturday the 22nd of December – a Reaper hit a terrorist heavy weapon and its crew to the south-east of Hajin, and Tornados bombed three Islamic State strong-points including a heavy machine-gun position.

The Ministry of Defence say that the Reaper’s crew successfully used a Hellfire missile against a small group of Islamic State fighters as they moved across country, whilst the Tornado jets destroyed two workshops which were producing improvised explosive devices.

The strikes on the 22nd involved a Reaper spotting terrorists manning a heavy weapon and engaged them with a Hellfire which scored a direct hit.

The Reaper then provided surveillance support to a coalition air strike on a Islamic State-held building nearby. Tornado aircraft were also active south-east of Hajin, conducting Paveway IV attacks which destroyed a heavy machine-gun position and two other Islamic State strong-points.

Background on Operation Shader

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.