Syria air strikes: Isis oil field struck by second round RAF bombings

BBC World Service Middle East editor Sebastian Usher said the first two missions in Syria had targeted infrastructure, rather than moving targets.

British Defence Minister, Michael Fallon, talks to British pilots and soldiers at RAF Akrotiri, a British air base near the coastal city of Limassol, Cyprus, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015.

Nick Ansell/PA Wire Groundcrew work on a Tornado GR4 from RAF Marham as it prepares for a practice mission, the Tornado’s based at Marham in Norfolk are to reinforce the Tornado squadron at Akrotiri in Cyprus.

“They were in action straight away on Friday night and successful, we believe, in striking that particular target”.

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

“The RAF Tornado and Reaper aircraft that have been conducting air strikes against Daesh (a derogatory Arabic term for ISIS) have now been reinforced by a detachment of Typhoon fighters, which carry the same Paveway IV precision guided bombs as the Tornados”.

It started as a civil war between President Bashar al-Assad’s government forces and opposition supporters, but jihadist group IS has moved into the country from Iraq and claimed territory.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) said that two Tornado jets, and for the first time, two Typhoons carried out eight attacks on a large oilfield in Omar, eastern Syria.

Coalition aircraft carried out two strikes against an oil field well head near Abu Kamal, Syria, and six strikes against an oil and gas separation plant near Dayr az Zawr, Syria, the statement by the coalition said.

Fallon made the remarks during a visit to the UK’s Royal Air Force base in Cyprus, a day after British bombers launched their second round of air strikes on Islamic State in Syria.

“What was really important about the vote last night was that it confirmed that Britain is a serious ally”, said Mr Fallon.

The RAF has been carrying out operations against IS in Iraq since previous year.

“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”.

It comes after MPs voted for Britain to join air strikes against ISIS in Syria on Wednesday.

Addressing around 200 crew in a hangar at the air base, Mr Fallon said they should be prepared for a long campaign to counter the terrorist threat from IS.