The planned air strike was aborted due to fears that civilians could be in the firing line, and the two Tornado fighter bombers returned to base
Geoff Robinson
It begins. A British fighter jet returns to base after soaring over Iraq
Islamic State terrorists dived for cover as missile-laden British jets screamed overhead in a stunning show of force, reports the Sunday People.
Meanwhile UK special forces troops teamed up with elite American units in Iraq to pinpoint targets, including the terror network’s leadership.
Yesterday saw the RAF’s first sortie over Iraq since the go-ahead was given to launch air strikes against jihadists.
Fearing civilians might be in the firing line, our pilots did not unleash their deadly payloads and the two Tornado fighter bombers returned to base.
British, US and Iraqi special forces are understood to be searching the vast desert of Anbar Province, stretching from Baghdad to the Syrian border.
Their top target is elusive Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The murderous Islamic State mastermind is so ruthless that even al-Qaeda banished him.
He learned how to evade manhunts from one-time al-Qaeda leader in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was eventually found and killed by American forces in 2006.
Most wanted: Ruthless Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is Britain and America's top target
Britain also has a £200million Rivet Joint spy plane taking part in the hunt for al-Baghdadi.
And Western spy agencies have recruited agents who they are training in Jordan and Turkey to enter Syria in search of information. A pair of 1,490mph two-seat Tornado GR4s of 2 Squadron took off from their base at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus at 8.30am yesterday, 15 hours after MPs backed British air strikes in Iraq.
They were supported by a giant Voyager air-to-air refuelling plane.
British jets had already been flying reconnaissance sorties over Iraq.
In other US-led coalition missions, aircraft pounded the Islamic State (IS) stronghold of Raqqa in Syria early yesterday. It was the heaviest raid yet, with witnesses reporting 31 massive explosions in and around the city.
Bombs or missiles were reported to have hit a jihadist training camp.
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said jets also struck east of the desert town of Palmyra in Homs Province.
They hit several IS checkpoints around the Kurdish town of Kobani, close to the Turkish border.
Hit Kurds take refuge at the Turkish border
UK air strikes were authorised after IS beheaded British aid worker David Haines , 44, two weeks ago. They had previously executed two US journalists and hold at least two more Brits.
A ComRes poll yesterday found just a quarter of the British public oppose the RAF joining the raids on IS, with 45% in favour of action.
Sources said coalition commanders have divided the war zone into “kill boxes” patrolled by unmanned aerial drones to identify targets.
The drones feed video to special forces troops on the ground, who check there are no civilians at risk before the planes go in and later assess the success of each raid.
Potential targets for British aircrews’ deadly accurate Brimstone missiles yesterday were believed to be near the Iraqi towns of Amerli and Kirkuk, as well as districts west of the capital Baghdad.
A Royal United Services Institute expert warned yesterday the UK mission, codenamed Operation Shader, was “likely to be a long-term project”.
Elizabeth Quintana said good intelligence would be crucial. She explained: “Intelligence is not just about what’s on the ground, but also understanding what they are trying to do.
“British rules of engagement are you do not prosecute (attack) a target if you know there are civilians in a convoy or being held against their will.”
Six Tornados are based in Cyprus. Other RAF officers are in Qatar, working with American counterparts to draw up targets. Ms Quintana said just the sight of fast, low-flying Tornados could scare off IS fighters.
The jets were often used this way against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Other British military deployments include one of the Royal Navy’s most modern ships. The £1billion Type 45 Destroyer HMS Defender is escorting an American aircraft in the Gulf.
The nuclear-powered submarine HMS Astute is in the Mediterranean, ready to bombard targets with its Tomahawk cruise missiles.
And 1,200 Royal Marines are poised to help any emergency relief effort.
They are aboard the assault ships HMS Bulwark and HMS Ocean, part of an international naval task force exercising in the Med !!!
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