A Reaper supported Iraqi troops fighting in eastern Mosul, destroying a heavy machine-gun and keeping watch over civilian refugees in the area.
According to a Ministry of Defence press release, with Iraqi forces continuing to clear Islamic State positions in eastern Mosul, a Royal Air Force Reaper flew overwatch for the operation. It performed an important role in tracking the movements of civilian refugees through the area, allowing coalition attacks to be halted or delayed as necessary.
The Reaper also identified a group of Islamic State fighters who were subsequently struck by Coalition fast jets.
The Reaper’s crew then spotted a heavy machine-gun firing on Iraqi troops, and destroyed it with a Hellfire missile.
Additionally, a pair of Typhoons, armed with Paveway IV guided bombs, and supported by a Voyager air refuelling tanker, attacked a Islamic State bunker dug into the hills some 25 miles north-west of Haditha. After the attack, smoke rose from the tunnel entrances some distance away, proving that the strike was successful.
A second pair of Typhoons operated north of Mosul, where they used a Paveway IV to destroy a Islamic State-held building. Meanwhile, a Reaper continued close air support over eastern Mosul. An armoured truck was tracked as Islamic State fighters attempted to hide it in a vehicle shelter, allowing it to be destroyed by coalition jets The Reaper then conducted three attacks using its own Hellfires against groups of extremists engaged in close combat with the advancing Iraqi troops.
