Britain’s Typhoon warplanes and Tornado jets – taking off from a base in Cyprus – have now conducted two rounds of air strikes in Syria against Daesh's lucrative oil installations.
Visiting the fighter pilots conducting the raids, the UK defence minister said on Saturday that the aim was to hit the extremist group's command and control, to smash its supply lines and cut off sources of its revenue.
“It is oil that underpins the terrorism that we have seen and helps ISIL-Daesh finance their terrorist operations,” Michael Fallon told air crews at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.
Already bombing the militants in Iraq, Britain joined the US-led mission in Syria after a vote in parliament on Wednesday.
The UK’s air strikes are unlikely to change the military balance but the vote handed Prime Minister David Cameron the chance to show Britain’s willingness to add to a Western consensus for taking the battle to militants in Syria.
Editor's note: This article has been edited from the source material
