RAF Blow Up Islamic State Warehouse Rammed With Explosives

The RAF has destroyed an Islamic State (IS) warehouse full of explosives in northern Iraq. 

Intelligence identified the location, near Hawjiah in the Kirkuk province, as a bomb factory that was being stored by the militant group.

Following that, an RAF Tornado attacked the building with two Paveway IV guided bombs and demolished the site and a large number of explosives.

In the past week, British jets have hit a number of IS positions in both Iraq and Syria. 

A Tornado and a Typhoon provided close air support to the Syrian Democratic Forces fighting to remove the group from Raqqa.

British pilots also used a Brimstone missile to eliminate an anti-aircraft machine gun that was concealed under cover, south-east of Rawah. The aircraft then flew north-east and destroyed a truck armed with a recoilless anti-tank gun.

The following day a Tornado used a single Paveway IV to destroy an engineering vehicle which Islamic State had attempted to conceal some miles north of Tall Afar.

In a week of intense RAF activity, three flights of Tornados and Typhoons conducted missions over the city, in which they attacked six Islamic State positions, using Paveways IV bombs and Brimstone missiles. 

The RAF is second only to the US in the air campaign, supporting the advance in Mosul and carrying out daily airstrikes. 

In 2015, Forces News was allowed special access to Operation Shader, both on the ground and in the skies, at RAF Akrotiri:

Even though the British Army isn't involved in a combat role in Iraq, they have been training and providing equipment to Iraqi Security Forces and Kurdish Security Forces.

According to the MOD, they have trained more than 25,000 Iraqi forces - including over 6,600 Kurdish Peshmerga - in infantry and weapons maintenance, medical and engineering skills.

The painful lessons of Afghanistan mean UK troops are now experts in counter-IED training, so they could pass on valuable skills to the Peshmerga.