UK government says first airstrikes against ISIL targets in Syria were successful

[webfact]

UK government says first airstrikes against ISIL targets in Syria were successful



LONDON: -- The British government has described the UK’s first airstrikes against ISIL targets in Syria as ‘successful’.

The bombing came just hours after the parliament approved the strikes on Wednesday night after a long and sometimes heated argument in the House of Commons.

Four Royal Air Force Tornados took off from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus to take part in the operation. The Ministry of Defence said the jets were carrying high precision bombs.

The British Defence Secretary, Michael Fallon, had already pre-approved the targets, which were the Omar oil fields in the Dar-e-Zor region of eastern Syria that are under ISIL control.

During the debate MP’s heard impassioned speeches both for and against the airstrikes, but British Prime Minister David Cameron eventually won a comfortable majority after a number of opposition MP’s voted with the government.


-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2015-12-04

[webfact]

US-led coalition targets IS oil facilities in eastern Syria
By DANICA KIRKA and JIM HEINTZ

LONDON (AP) — As British jets opened airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Syria and Germany prepared to send troops and aircraft to the region, Russia's president called on the world Thursday to brandish "one powerful fist" in the fight against terrorism.

Yet even as international efforts to defeat the extremists grew, animosity between Russia and Turkey only intensified.

Hours after Britain's Parliament authorized military action in Syria, its Tornado warplanes struck oil fields in eastern Syria that help finance IS. "This strikes a very real blow at the oil and the revenue on which the Daesh terrorists depend," Defense Secretary Michael Fallon told the BBC, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

Both the U.S.-led coalition and Russian warplanes have struck the extremists' oil facilities and Russia has drawn heated international attention to the issue by accusing Turkish authorities of profiting from oil trade with IS — allegations Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has strongly denied.

The Russian allegations came after last week's downing by Turkey of a Russian warplane near the Syria-Turkey border. Turkey insists the plane had violated its airspace, but Russia vehemently rejects that contention.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his state-of-the-nation address, accused Turkey of "a treacherous war crime" and bitingly suggested "Allah must have punished Turkey's ruling clique by depriving it of sense and reason."

Putin also accused Washington and its allies of turning Iraq, Syria and Libya into a "zone of chaos and anarchy threatening the entire world" by supporting change of regimes in those countries.

"We must leave all arguments and disagreements behind and make one powerful fist, a single anti-terror front, which would work on the basis of international law under the aegis of the United Nations," Putin said.

Germany on Thursday prepared to send reconnaissance aircraft to the Middle East as coalition forces stepped up efforts to fight the militants. In all, up to 1,200 German soldiers would be deployed to support the international coalition fighting the Islamic State group. Two Tornados and a tanker could be sent to Turkey's Incirlik air base next week if the German Parliament approves the mission Friday as expected.

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said the mission would have three components: to protect French naval operations, to provide intelligence though reconnaissance aircraft and satellite observation, and to offer logistical support like in-air refueling for allied planes.

"The goal... is to fight and contain IS, and destroy their safe havens and their ability to lead worldwide terror operations," she told reporters in Berlin before heading to Ankara for talks with her Turkish counterpart.

France welcomed the first British airstrikes in Syria, saying they were a sign of the European solidarity promised after the deadly Nov. 13 attacks on Paris claimed by IS militants.

In a statement Thursday, French President Francois Hollande said the British Parliament's approval of the airstrikes and the upcoming German vote were a sign that Europeans would stand together after the attacks that killed 130 people and left hundreds wounded in Paris.

French fighter jets joined the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State extremists in Iraq in 2014 and expanded their mission to IS targets in Syria in September.

Other European officials also appealed for a joint global response. Diplomats at an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe conference in Belgrade said Thursday that only a unified front could be effective in countering the threat of terrorism.

German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier described the situation as "too dangerous, and freedom and stability too fragile, for us to counter each other" — an apparent reference to the spat caused by last week's downing of the Russian plane by Turkey.

But international cohesion remained elusive as Putin again accused Turkey of profiting from oil trade with IS.

"We know who in Turkey are filling their pockets and allowing terrorists to earn money by selling oil stolen from Syria," Putin said in his state of the union address.

"For that money the bandits are recruiting mercenaries, buying weapons and staging cruel terror attacks aimed against our citizens, as well as citizens of France, Lebanon, Mali and other countries," he said.

The Russian and Turkish foreign ministers met in Belgrade on the sidelines of the OSCE meeting — the first senior-level meeting since the incident — but the exchange was frosty.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he offered his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, condolences over the death of a Russian pilot, adding: "It would be unrealistic to say that the problem has been overcome."

"Our hope is that they avoid making unfounded claims," he said.

Meanwhile, in Syria, Russian troops moved to fortify their positions and expand a military base, adding fortifications and developing its runways in a sign they intend to use it as their second air base in the country, Syrian activists said Thursday.

The work underway at the Shaayrat air base, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of the city of Homs, could also signal Moscow's intention to step up airstrikes in the country's central region where the Islamic State group is active.
____

Heintz reported from Moscow. Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow, Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Jovana Gec in Belgrade, David Rising in Berlin and Menelaos Hadjicostis in Akrotiri, Cyprus, contributed to this report.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-12-04

[djlest]

How uncanny how the first target to hit after such an opposition was suprise suprise - OIL!
Seems that is infact their main priority, and probably what this whole game is really about...

[arjunadawn]

A monkey could pull a lever for a banana. It is a far more complicated thing to act out a sound and productive policy that is legitimate. Finding the premise, under cover of "Remember Paris" to square off with Russia in the next new arena is hardly leadership at all. In fact, it is entirely from the US script.

[Krataiboy]

Piecemeal air raids, which is all we are witnessing by Britain and its NATO allies, will simply wound and not destroy the jihadists. The most likely outcome will be a backlash of increased terrorist activity in Europe, the US and - as indicated by news of IS targeting tourist spots in Thailand - elsewhere across the world.

What is really called for is a massive, concentrated joint NATO/Russia bombing campaign to cut IS supply lines, plus a coordinated ground offensive, led by Arab nations - whose fight, after all, this really is - to halt the jihadists in their bloody tracks.

Putin and Obama should ignore efforts by the mischievous Turks to create a rift (for their own nefarious purposes) between the superpowers and pool resources to persuade the warring factions in Syria to the negotiating table.

The exodus of refugees currently causing political and civil unrest and economic strain across the EU will not be effectively staunched until the jihadists are immobilised - which means stopping oil supplies from Turkey - and a credible replacement alternative leadership to that of Bashir the Butcher.is ready and waiting in the wings.

All of this will be water in the sand unless the Allies have learned the lessons of Iraq and Libya and formulate a plausible exit strategy to bring lasting peace and political and economic stability to the devastated region. Provision must be made for ongoing funding - from wealthy Arab nations as well as the West - to rebuild local economies and infrastructure and help resettle the majority of refugees who fled to Europe rather than seek sanctuary from neighbouring states, as was their right.

In the long run, assisted resettlement is likely to be a better - and certainly a less costly option - than putting further strain on fragile European economies which are already facing immigration issues.

While hostilities continue, Saudi Arabia should be persuaded to offer families fleeing from war zones temporary refuge in the 100,000 empty air-conditioned at Mina, used by stopover pilgrims to the last Haaj. Other Gulf states which have shown support for the jihadists also must be made share the burden of the appalling human suffering they helped create

Edited December 4, 2015 by Krataiboy

[elgordo38]

To the British tax payer yes our first strike was a success. We will need 2 repeat 2 more years of bombing to bring things under control. Please bear with us and pay your taxes on time we will need all the money we can collect to pay for this fiasco. Due to our aggressive action please be advised to stay away from crowded events as there could be reprisals to our actions that could be dangerous to your health and well being. Have a great day. Stay tuned. Your safety is our priority.

Edited December 4, 2015 by elgordo38

[ableguy]

To the British tax payer yes our first strike was a success. We will need 2 repeat 2 more years of bombing to bring things under control. Please bear with us and pay your taxes on time we will need all the money we can collect to pay for this fiasco. Due to our aggressive action please be advised to stay away from crowded events as there could be reprisals to our actions that could be dangerous to your health and well being. Have a great day. Stay tuned. Your safety is our priority.

Nonsense.