British jets ready to attack Isis within hours of Commons vote
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Version 0 of 1. RAF Tornado jets are expected to mount their first attacks against Islamic State (Isis) targets in Iraq within hours of a Commons vote on Friday sanctioning action. The jets, based in Cyprus, were out over Iraq on Wednesday night gathering intelligence in preparation for the attack – an exercise that has been ongoing in the past month. British special forces are already deployed to the region, primarily to gather intelligence and to help identify targets. They are liaising with the 190,000-strong Kurdish Peshmerga, the main force on the ground engaged against Isis in Iraq. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is planning for an operation that will last for months as part of a US-led coalition that includes France, Saudi Arabia and Gulf states. An MoD official cautioned that there would not be a massive set of explosions similar to those that marked the start of the 2003 invasion of Iraq when the night sky over Baghdad was lit up by attacks on multiple targets. “It will not be shock and awe,” the official said. “This will be a much more fluid operation.” Although the exact target is kept under constant review, the initial intention is to hit “mobile” units. Six Tornado jets are based at Akrotiri, in Cyprus, and that is seen within the MoD as sufficient at this stage, a commitment that will not stretch limited resources. In Libya, the RAF had 16 Tornadoes in action and 10 Typhoons. Also involved is an RAF Rivet Joint surveillance plane, based in Qatar. A major problem is lack of targets. The US has been attacking Isis positions since August, picking the most obvious targets. The shortage of targets is compounded by the fact that, unlike Iraq in 2003, there are no official state organisations to attack such as ministry buildings or television stations. Some RAF targets will be predetermined but others will be chosen on an ad hoc, opportunistic basis. While Isis vehicles are out in the desert, they present easy targets for the US-led coalition. It will become harder if they eventually all pull back into urban areas, particularly districts with heavy civilian populations. Air power alone cannot destroy Isis. In spite of sustained US attacks since August, Isis has not been pushed back, apart from in a few places such as the vital Mosul dam, and remains largely intact. The US and its allies are depending on the Iraqi army, the Peshmerga and the Free Syrian Army to defeat Isis on the ground. But the 250,000-strong Iraqi army, which was trained by the US and its allies, collapsed in its first encounters with Isis – whose estimated strength ranges from 7,000 to 30,000. British special forces are adopting a much more limited role than during the invasion and occupation of Iraq, when they were involved in disruptive actions as well as, after the invasion, hunting for insurgent leaders. The defence secretary, Michael Fallon, on Thursday warned of the potential for a drawn-out war against Isis. “This has to be planned, it has to be sustained,” he told the House magazine, echoing US secretary of state John Kerry’s estimation of a two to three year campaign. |