Bahraini fighter jets have joined US-led air strikes in Syria to prevent extremist fighters from expanding throughout the region.

The US operation included the Royal Bahrain Air Force (RBAF) and military forces from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and Jordan, which was part of an international action plan to stamp out the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organisation, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

“A group of fighter jets from the RBAF carried out, along with the air forces of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) states and those of allied and friendly countries, air strikes against a number of selected targets of terrorist groups and organisations, and destroyed them,” said a Bahrain Defence Force source.

A statement from the US Central Command said, “The strikes destroyed or damaged multiple IS targets in the vicinity of the towns of Ar Raqqah in north central Syria, Dayr az Zawr and Abu Kamal in eastern Syria and Al Hasakah in northeastern Syria.”

Operation

The US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps took part in the military operation, which also included deploying 47 Tomahawk land attack missiles, launched from the USS Arleigh Burke and USS Philippine Sea which were operating from the Red Sea and north Arabian Gulf.

US military forces also targeted IS sites in Iraq yesterday and destroyed two Humvees, an armed vehicle and an IS fighting position southwest of Kirkuk.

They targeted a network of seasoned Al Qaeda veterans known as the Khorasan Group, which the US claimed was plotting attacks against it and Western interests.

America has conducted a total of 194 air strikes across Iraq against IS.

Meanwhile, British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon left Bahrain yesterday after holding talks with officials on regional security and international co-ordination to counter IS ahead of this week's United Nations General Assembly session.

“The UK supports the air strikes launched by the US and regional allies which run alongside the action the UK has already taken in the form of reconnaissance flights, military equipment and humanitarian aid,” he said.

“The UK has a long-standing defence relationship with both Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.”

“In Saudi Arabia, the UK assists with the delivery and support of Typhoon and Tornado aircraft.

“Bahrain is also a key location for the UK, with onshore basing and ships located at Mina Salman Port.”

The GDN earlier reported that Bahrain will host a high-level conference in the first week of November to discuss combating the funding of terrorist organisations in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, in an interview with the CNN yesterday, said 'Cutting funding to terror is half the war, hence the meeting in Bahrain,' referring to the forum.

He said Bahrain will be a part of the coalition for 'as long as it takes' and provide the necessary support.

“Fighting IS is one battle of a broader war on terrorism as a whole, which needs a holistic approach.”

The minister stressed that there were other terror groups such as the Al Qaeda offshoot Arab Maghreb and Hizbollah in Lebanon.

“We have a coalition of about 40 countries that expressed their interest and support for anti-terror operations in the region, but field assessment remains with the military,” Shaikh Khalid added.

He also underlined the vital role that scholars could play against terrorism. - TradeArabia News Service