Guidance

RAF air strikes in Iraq and Syria: October 2017

Updated 16 December 2024

Monday 2 October

With Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) continuing to fight Daesh to the north east of Dayr az Zawr, a Royal Air Force (RAF) Reaper remotely piloted aircraft flew overwatch. An SDF unit reported being engaged in close combat with several terrorists, and the Reaper’s crew intervened, successfully targeting the extremists with a Hellfire missile attack.

Wednesday 4 October

A flight of Typhoons supported Iraqi forces as they advanced to liberate Hawijah. Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to remove 2 threats which the Iraqi troops encountered: a terrorist mortar team, and a truck bomb which was blocking a road to the north east of the town. Meanwhile, a pair of Tornados were tasked to deal with a second truck bomb which had been positioned by terrorists to the north east of Bayji. The vehicle was destroyed by a direct hit from a Brimstone missile.

Thursday 5 October

Intelligence had confirmed that a group of 3 buildings in eastern Syria, some forty miles south east of Hasakah and close to a border crossing into Iraq, was being used as a base by Daesh. Two Typhoons conducted a carefully planned attack, each of the 3 buildings being struck with a Paveway IV.

Friday 6 October

A Reaper again patrolled north east of Dayr az Zawr; its crew delivered attacks with Hellfire missiles on 3 groups of terrorists, including one manning a heavy weapon, and also supported 2 further strikes by coalition aircraft. Two Tornados supported the SDF inside Raqqa as they cleared remaining terrorist positions in the north west of the city. Despite the SDF being very close to the target, the Tornados delivered a precision attack with a Paveway on a Daesh group firing from a building.

Saturday 7 October

Typhoons also operated over Raqqa, and bombed 3 further terrorist positions in the north west of the city.

Monday 9 October

A Reaper spotted a concealed truck bomb, which allowed a coalition fast jet to destroy it with an accurate strike. The Reaper then dealt with a second such truck bomb using its own Hellfire missiles, which resulted in a very large secondary explosion when the vehicle was hit, proving the presence of explosives.

The following day, a further Reaper armed reconnaissance mission identified a terrorist setting up a machine gun position; he was killed by a Hellfire shortly after he opened fire. The Reaper’s crew used a second Hellfire to destroy an armoured truck manned by several Daesh extremists, again to the north east of Dayr az Zawr.

Thursday 12 October

The SDF, supported by the Coalition, continue to make good progress towards the fall of Raqqah, having now cleared around 90% of the city. The RAF have played a pivotal role in this, striking 213 targets in and around Raqqah since the start of the SDF offensive. This included 2 Tornado GR4s providing close air support to the SDF in Raqqah on 12 October. A Paveway IV guided bomb was deployed to target the upper storeys of a building from which a Daesh sniper was firing, and a second weapon struck another building from which terrorists were engaged in a combat with the SDF.

Elsewhere, an area some 20 miles north east of Dayr az Zawr remained a key focus for RAF Reaper patrols supporting the operations of the SDF in the area.

Over western Iraq, another Tornado flight dropped 4 Paveways on a Daesh camp in the desert, some 60 miles south west of Ramadi.

Friday 13 October

A Reaper was again in action north east of Dayr az Zawr, its crew observed a mortar being fired from a compound and scored a direct on the position with a Hellfire. The Reaper’s crew then provided surveillance support to a coalition air strike on another position in the area.

Saturday 14 October

A Reaper successfully engaged one small group of terrorists with a Hellfire, then provided support to 2 air strikes on further extremists operating on foot nearby.