MOSCOW, October 6 (RIA Novosti) – British planes have launched new airstrikes against the Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), in Iraq, according to a statement released by the British Ministry of Defense Monday.
"Last night, 2 of our aircraft, flying in support of Iraqi security forces, successfully used Paveway IV precision-guided bombs to attack ISIL terrorists, fortified in a building near Ramadi [about 110 kilometers, or 68 miles west of Baghdad], who were firing on Iraqi soldiers," the statement said.
According to the statement, "Tornado GR4s…have continued their patrols over Iraq as part of the international coalition against ISIL".
The IS has been fighting the Syrian government since 2012. In June 2014, the group extended its attacks to northern and western Iraq, proclaiming a caliphate on the vast areas it had seized across both countries.
In August, the United States authorized airstrikes against IS targets in Iraq.
On September 10, US President Barack Obama announced his decision to form an international anti-IS coalition and conduct airstrikes against IS positions in Syria, while simultaneously continuing the airstrikes in Iraq.
On September 26, the British Parliament approved UK participation in the international anti-IS operation in Iraq. Four days later British Tornado fighter jets conducted first airstrikes against IS positions in that country.
