RAF Hellfire missile strike blasts Islamic State unit trying to create new hideout in Iraq

An RAF car blasted an ISIS hideout with Hellfire missiles as the militants sought to establish a new foothold in Iraq.

Hellfire missiles are fired from an RAF Reaper drone (

Image: Unknown Internet)

An RAF drone bombed ISIS terrorists trying to establish a new hideout in Iraq.

The Reaper unmanned aircraft deployed as part of Operation Shader unleashed a barrage of Hellfire missiles after Iraqi security forces spotted an Islamic State unit 'attempting to re-establish a presence in an area north of Tikrit," the defense ministry said.

Other warplanes from the alliance of western forces targeting ISIS were also involved.

The MoD said the MQ-9A British Reaper, "on a fitting occasion, when the terrorists were exposed in the open away from any civilians, carried out a successful attack alongside the other aircraft of the coalition".

He said that "the terrorists (were) eliminated before they could pose an active threat to the Iraqi people".

An RAF Reaper strike on an ISIS position (

Picture:

MOD)

The 288mph Reaper is remotely piloted by a three-man crew that can be based thousands of miles away.

When armed with its four 114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles, it can stay aloft at 30,000 feet for over 12 hours to gather intelligence and target enemies.

The just-revealed June 14 bombing took place as Islamic State extremists attempted to return to the former strongholds of their caliphate in Iraq and Syria.

This comes after two people were killed and four injured yesterday after jihadists planted roadside bombs in two locations in northern and central Iraq.

In May, six rockets were fired at an oil refinery in Kurdistan, causing "minor damage" in an unclaimed attack widely blamed on ISIS.

In Afghanistan, ISIS attacks have increased since the Taliban took control after the US left.

An attack by an affiliated group last month at a Sikh temple killed two people and was seen as 'revenge' for insults made against the Prophet Muhammad by members of India's ruling party.

>