RAF jets poised to strike Jihadists in Iraq as Belgium and Denmark join fight

British jets armed with missiles are over northern Iraq on their maiden combat mission after taking off from a base in Cyprus. Two Tornado GR4 fighter jets - armed with missiles for the first time - took off from RAF Akrotiri at 8.30am this morning. They are being supported by a Voyager refuelling aircraft also based on the island. The Tornados are carrying Brimstone and Paveway missiles on board and are authorised to fire them if they encounter Islamic State (IS) militants. Precise details of the mission are still unknown, but the pilots - one male, one female - will be flying over Iraq according to the tasking given to them by US Central Command. Britain has six Tornado GR4 fighter bombers in Cyprus ready to strike northern Iraq, a figure which Cabinet minister Kenneth Clarke said would make the UK’s military contribution “almost symbolic”.

We can confirm that following Parliamentary approval given yesterday, Royal Air Force Tornados continue to fly over Iraq and are now ready to be used in an attack role as and when appropriate targets are identified.

UK Ministry of Defence spokesman

Prime Minister David Cameron has described U.K. involvement as critical to security on home soil, arguing that facing down terrorists has become a matter of urgency. He says the hallmarks of the campaign would be “patience and persistence, not shock and awe.” Saturday’s sortie was the first time British aircraft had been flying over Iraq in an armed role since Islamic State swept across large areas of northern Iraq in June. Belgium, Britain and Denmark approved plans to join France and the Netherlands in carrying out air raids against the militants in Iraq, allowing Washington to focus on the more complex operation in neighbouring Syria, where IS has set up its headquarters.

World RAF