AS EUROPEAN CITIES remain on high alert of terrorist attacks following the further horrific loss of life in Belgium this week, RAF Lossiemouth aircrews continued to strike at Daesh forces in Iraq.
Typhoons from Moray who have been operating from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus since December joined Tornado GR4’s in support of Kurdish ground forces.
The Ministry of Defence reported in their latest update that Typhoon FRG4s provided close air support last Tuesday to ground forces pushing south from Sinjar.
On Thursday, March 17 the Tornado and Typhoon crews were operating over northern and western Iraq, with the Typhoons using a Paveway bomb to demolish a building from which a terrorist sniper had opened fire on Iraqi forces close to Tall Afar.
The following day the crews were involved in missions against terrorists who had gathered to mount an attack in northern Iraq, while on Monday this week the Lossiemouth aircraft were again involved in a mission against teams of terrorists planting IEDs again in northern Iraq.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman added: “Two flights of Typhoons provided close air support to the Kurdish forces on Monday, March 21 – one flight destroyed a Daesh group that was firing rockets at the Kurds, whilst the other flight successfully attacked three terrorist teams which were planting improvised explosive devices in the Kisik area.
“On the ground, British training teams continue to play an important role in the large coalition programme to help the Iraqi security forces become ever more effective in their successful efforts to drive the terrorists from their country.
“The British instructors have focused on training infantry and combat medical skills, as well as leading the coalition’s assistance in how to deal safely with the thousands of improvised explosive devices and booby-traps left behind by Daesh in an attempt to prevent the civilian population from resuming their lives in liberated territory.”