RAF Bombers Attack IS Terrorists In Iraq
RAF Tornado fighter bombers have successfully attacked a group of more than 30 Islamic State terrorists in northern Iraq.
A Tornado G4 patrol was able to "guide" a Paveway bomb on to the IS fighters near the town of Sinjar, the Ministry of Defence has revealed.
The sortie, which took place on Monday, was carried out in support of an offensive by Kurdish peshmerga fighters mounted against IS in the Mosul region.
"The first flight used a Paveway bomb to destroy a mortar position which had opened fire on the Kurds," the MoD said in a statement.
"The following mission destroyed a heavy machine gun near Mosul with a Paveway IV, then proceeded west towards Sinjar.
"There was heavy cloud, which may have encouraged the terrorists to assume that they were safe from air attack, but, working very closely with the Kurdish forces, the GR4s were able to guide a Paveway on to a large group of over 30 Daesh terrorists who were massing for a counter-attack.
"The Kurdish unit subsequently reported that the airstrike had been highly effective.
"The Tornado patrol then destroyed another Isil mortar position south-west of Sinjar."
On Sunday an RAF Reaper drone provided "surveillance support" to a wave of French airstrikes on the IS stronghold of Raqqa carried out in retaliation for the Paris terror attacks.
RAF Tornados have also been flying in support of Iraqi government forces in the Ramadi region, carrying out a series of successful attacks on IS positions on Friday, the MoD said.
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Details of the latest operations emerged as Chancellor George Osborne revealed intelligence services are developing cyber weapons to "hit back" at deadly hack attacks by IS.
Later Prime Minister David Cameron said he was to set out a "comprehensive strategy" for dealing with IS , including air strikes on Syria.
In the wake of the Paris attacks he said there was a "compelling case" for extending air strikes and that Britain "cannot expect others to carry the burden and risks of protecting our country".
He made the announcement after France issued what was described as an unprecedented demand for its European Union allies to support its military action against Islamic State.
The French government invoked a never-before-used article of the EU's Lisbon Treaty which requires member states to provide "aid and assistance by all the means in their power" to a member that is "the victim of armed aggression on its territory".
French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said EU partners could help "either by taking part in France's operations in Syria or Iraq, or by easing the load or providing support for France in other operations".
The call came as French war planes launched a second wave of strikes on Raqqa ,destroying a command post and a training camp, according to a military spokesman.
In an emotional address to the two French houses of parliament on Monday, president Francois Hollande pledged to build a coalition capable of defeating the jihadists at home and abroad.
With at least 129 people known to have died in the Paris attacks, Mr Hollande called on the international community - led by the US and Russia - to set aside their differences over Syria to destroy IS on its home ground.