By The Royal Air Force (RAF) has successfully eliminated a “known Daesh terrorist” in Syria using a drone armed with Hellfire missiles, the UK Ministry of Defence announced on Sunday. The operation, conducted as part of ongoing international efforts to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State group, took place in June but was only recently declassified.
Defence Secretary John Healey told the Sunday Express, “This operation is a clear demonstration of our commitment to ensuring Daesh can never reestablish itself in the Middle East. Ten years since Op Shader began, we have seen the global terror group lose territory, funding and fighters.”
The strike occurred on June 18, 2024, when the crew of an RAF Reaper remotely piloted aircraft tracked a Daesh terrorist moving on foot in the Syrian desert. After confirming no civilians were in the vicinity, the drone crew launched a successful strike against the individual.
This action coincides with the Ministry of Defence marking the 10th anniversary of Operation Shader, the UK’s contribution to the global coalition against Daesh. The operation began in response to the group’s control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria a decade ago, during which time ISIS shocked the world with brutal killings and oppression under its self-proclaimed “caliphate.”
The UK Government continues to view Daesh as a “threat to the world through its violent ideology and network of terrorist fighters,” despite the group’s loss of territorial control in recent years.
In a statement, the RAF detailed its ongoing involvement: “Royal Air Force aircraft have continued to fly regular armed reconnaissance patrols as part of the coalition efforts to ensure that residual elements of the Daesh terrorist organisation are unable to re-establish themselves in Syria or Iraq.”
Healey reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to counter-terrorism efforts, stating, “Working closely with our international partners, we will continue to disrupt and dismantle terrorist networks while promoting peace and prosperity in the Middle East.”
The precision strike underscores the RAF’s continued role in coalition operations against ISIS, even as the nature of the threat has evolved since the group’s territorial defeat in 2019.
