RAF supporting French airstrikes against Isis in Syria

The RAF, in a show of solidarity with France, has highlighted its role supporting multiple attacks on the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa.

The Ministry of Defence said one of its Reaper drones crossed into Syria to support a French airstrike on “a large terrorist facility” near Raqqa. The MoD also detailed various RAF attacks on Isis forces in Iraq since Friday.

The defence secretary, Michael Fallon, rejected claims that the UK’s role in the battle against Isis was limited, and stressed the unique specialist knowledge and equipment that Britain was providing.

In a blog in the Spectator, he claimed weaponry owned by the UK – which even the US did not have – allowed the RAF to conduct precision attacks. He said that as far as he knew there had been not a single civilian casualty caused by UK airstrikes since they began 14 months ago.

To back up that point, the MoD released specific casualty figures from one of the attacks. It said a Tornado dropped a Paveway bomb “on to a large group of over 30 Daesh terrorists who were massing for a counter-attack” while it was supporting Kurdish forces on Monday.

According to the MoD, the Isis forces may have been fooled into thinking that heavy cloud would provide them with cover. The assessment that there were no civilians involved is based partly on high-definition cameras and other intelligence.

Listing operations since Friday, the MoD said Tornados flying from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus provided support to Iraqi troops fighting around Isis-controlled Ramadi. The Tornados used a combination of Paveway bombs and Brimstone missiles.

A second Tornado patrol that night destroyed an Isis armoured personnel carrier, the MoD said. “Meanwhile, further north an RAF Reaper assisted an Iraqi unit which reported that, following a firefight, a group of Daesh terrorists had taken shelter in a derelict industrial site, hiding under an oil tank. Despite the close proximity of the Iraqi soldiers, the Reaper’s crew were able to direct a GBU-12 [Paveway] guided bomb on to the terrorist position and destroy it, without risk to the friendly forces,” the MoD said.On Monday, Tornados used a Paveway bomb to destroy a mortar position which had opened fire on the Kurds and another to destroy a heavy machine gun near Mosul, also in Iraq.

Fallon said UK planes had been flying day and night and had conducted 8% of the airstrikes in Iraq. “But this isn’t a numbers game – the UK brings a qualitative edge,” he said. “The skill of our RAF pilots and the capability of our aircraft means the UK can conduct the most complex strikes – what is known as dynamic targeting. This typically means responding to an Iraqi unit engaged in combat with Isil (Isis) and in need of immediate air support as we did last week to help recapture Sinjar.

“We also have the Brimstone missile – a low collateral damage, precision weapon that even the US do not possess. It means we can strike accurately and we are not aware of any civilian casualties having been caused by the UK over the first 14 months of the campaign.”

He repeated his frustration that the UK has not been allowed by parliament to mount regular airstrikes in Syria.