Tri-Service
Head Of The RAF Says UK Airstrikes Key To IS Retreat
The head of the RAF says so-called Islamic State is on the retreat and wouldn't be without its air strikes.
During his first formal visit to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, Chief of the Air Staff Sir Stephen Hillier praised frontline personnel for the high tempo of strikes in Syria and Iraq.
For the RAF the missions against 'Daesh' go on night and day.
The footage below, shot by RAF Tornados near Rawah in Iraq, shows one IS bunker on the banks of the Euphrates River being destroyed with a Paveway guided bomb.
RAF Typhoons, Tornados and Reaper drones are now heavily involved in both the fight for Mosul and the growing air campaign against Islamic State’s de facto capital, Raqqa in Syria.
Over Mosul the RAF’s Reapers are being used to both watch and wage war.
They are scouring the city for civilians whilst hunting for IS fighters and their weapons.
Typhoons from Cyprus have also been flying missions over Syria, supporting Syrian Democratic Forces on the ground as they begin their advance on Raqqa.
In the past week, RAF jets bombed what the MOD say was an IS strongpoint in the city and destroyed an artillery piece hidden in trees 10 miles from Raqqa itself.
The RAF has now launched close to 1,000 airstrikes against Daesh, with the overall US-led coalition launching around 16000.
It's all part of an intensifying air campaign, designed to push IS back into Syria and eventually see the destruction of Daesh.
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