The British carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has hurled its first direct military action against Daesh/ISIS.
British and American F-35B stealth aircrafts took off from the areas of the new carrier to strike the terror group’s sites in Syria and Iraq. Defense officials said numerous Daesh/ISIS positions were demolished.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace pronounced the role of the £3.5 billion-worth HMS Queen Elizabeth in the operation as “a physical embodiment of global Britain.”
Some have cautioned that the number of Daesh/ISIS attacks is increasing. More than 20 Iraqi security force members have been executed by the faction in the last few months.
On January 21, Baghdad experience the largest suicide bombing in the past three years, which took the lives of 32 people and injured at least 100, after a twin explosion through a market.
Cautions have also come from European allies, with French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly saying his country “considers Daesh/ISIS is still present, we could even say that there is a resurgence of the terrorist organization in Syria and Iraq.”
Wallace said: “The ability to operate from the sea with the most advanced fighter jets ever created is a significant moment in our history, offering reassurance to our allies and demonstrating the UK’s formidable air power to our adversaries.”
Commander of the UK Carrier Strike Group Cdre. Steve Moorhouse stated: “HMS Queen Elizabeth’s first missions against Daesh/ISIS will be remembered as a significant moment in the 50-year lifespan of the ship. It also marks a new phase of our current deployment… Now we are ready to deliver the hard punch of maritime-based air power against a shared enemy.”
