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Rediff.com  » News » Britain carries out second bombing in Syria

Britain carries out second bombing in Syria

By Aditi Khanna
December 05, 2015 23:57 IST
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Britain has carried out its second set of air strikes in Syria since the Parliament backed military action against Islamic State, once again targeting the oil fields controlled by the terror group.

The UK Ministry of Defence said Tornado GR4s were involved in fighting against Islamic State militants near the city of Ramadi on Friday.

"A terrorist sniper team opened fire from a compound on Iraqi troops, but was silenced by a direct hit from a Paveway IV guided bomb," a statement said.

It is understood the targets were oil fields again, and the mission involved two Tornados and, for the first time, two Typhoons.

Four Tornado jets had launched the first air strikes on Thursday, hitting the Omar oil fields in eastern Syria. They came just hours after members of parliament gave their backing for military action.

Six Tornados flew to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus on Thursday to join the operation against the ISIS, which the UK government refers to as Daesh and is also referred to as ISIS and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

The UK ministry of defence said the deployment of the Typhoons plus an extra two Tornados offered a significant increase in strike capacity to both the RAF and the wider coalition air campaign. 

Extra fighter jets have been sent to the UK's Cyprus base, RAF Akrotiri, to launch bombing and reconnaissance missions over Syria and continue Operation Shader in Iraq, where Britain is providing support to Iraqi forces at the government's request.

Image: A British tornado jet prepares for takeoff. Photograph: Stringer/Reuters

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Aditi Khanna in London
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