The RAF continues its air raids in the Middle East. From Akrotiri Air Base (Cyprus) i Typhoon and Tornado British take off daily for their armed reconnaissance and bombing missions.
A dozen missions have been conducted in the past week. The Ministry of Defense discloses the results: On 1 April, during a sortie, two Thypoon pairs destroyed a pickup truck armed with an anti-aircraft gun near Ramadi, western Iraq, with a laser-guided bomb. By means of bombs Paveway a bunker west of Fallujah and a tanker truck converted to a car bomb near Hit were destroyed. In the same hours a Tornado Gr4 patrol flying over northern Iraq destroyed 3 buildings occupied by terrorists in the Mosul and Sinjar areas.
On 2 April, four other 'Tonkas' cleared an ammunition depot previously owned by the Iraqi army and located in Qayyarah, in the north of the country. The intelligence of the International Coalition, after discovering that Daesh militants were manufacturing explosive devices in the building, reported the target and together with other coalition aircraft, the RAF GR4 attacked 16 storage bunkers. Each plane dropped four Paveway. On the same day a drone MQ-9 Reaper knocked out with a missile Hellfire a mortar station camouflaged among the trees on the west bank of the Tigris.
On Monday a squadron composed of Typhoon e Tornado hit two buildings east of Fallujah. Both had been reported as being occupied by Daesh militants. The same formation intervened along the course of the Euphrates, where a reconnaissance plane of the international coalition had reported a group of militants hiding in a wooded area. The area was cleared with bombs Paveway IV. In the same hours, a couple of Tornado GR4s brought help to a group of Kurdish peshmerga engaged in a firefight in the northwest of Mosul.
Tuesday 5th April, hunting Typhoon they cleared with laser-guided bombs Paveway three structures occupied by Daesh: all in the area north-east of Mosul. On the return route the same Typhoon they cleared a mortar post reported by a JTAC team. Wednesday of Typhoon in armed reconnaissance they provided close air support to Iraqi security forces engaged in attacking some Daesh strongholds inside the town of Hit. During the raid all buildings were destroyed Illuminated by the Iraqis and some heavy machine guns that prevented its advance. A third machine gun was eliminated during simultaneous attacks that thwarted the threat of two gangs of RPG-armed terrorists (Rocket Propelled Granade). On the same day Tornado GR4 bombed a network of trenches near Qayyarah.
In the latest sorties recorded yesterday, fighter-bombers Tornado they took one Paveway to destroy a truck bomb ready to be launched at a position of Kurdish soldiers south of Kirkuk. The same formation eliminated with a missile Brimstone a position armed with a heavy machine gun located on the 'Little Zab' river. In the Qayyarah area, gods Typhoon they intervened to provide air support to a formation of Kurdish peshmerga blocked by enemy fire.
(images: MoD UK - in last month's video attacks in Iraq)
