Tri-Service
UK Airstrikes Have Caused Seven Daesh Casualties In Syria
British airstrikes in Syria have killed or injured just seven Daesh fighters, according to estimates released by the Ministry of Defence.
Prime Minister David Cameron won the support of MPs for strikes against the group in its Syrian strongholds in December, but the MoD figures show by the end of January just four out of almost 600 attacks had resulted in casualties.
None of the strikes involved the high-precision Brimstone missile which was cited by the Prime Minister as the kind of UK asset which would make a "meaningful difference" to the coalition's battle against IS in Syria.
The missiles, which each cost around £100,000, were not used in the first month of operations, with their first recorded deployment on January 10 against supply trucks in Raqqa.
The MoD says the RAF's operations against Daesh in Syria have focused on targeting the infrastructure used to support the group, including the oil fields which are a major source of revenue for the militants.
It comes after new footage was released of the UK's latest strikes against Daesh, showing two RAF Tornado GR4s using a Paveway laser-guided bomb to attack a weapons cache.
MoD sources said strikes targeting the group were only carried out if there was no risk of civilians being injured. A spokeswoman for the MoD said:
"We are playing a crucial role in a campaign that will take time and patience. Using the right weapon for each scenario, RAF jets have struck Daesh almost 600 times."
"In Iraq we have helped to drive them out of Sinjar and Ramadi. In Syria, we have severely weakened them by targeting their key infrastructure."
Details of the estimated casualties were released by the MoD in response to a Freedom of Information request by the Huffington Post UK.
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