The RAF Says It Killed Over 4,000 ISIS Fighters

Warplanes from the UK played a major part in degrading the so-called Islamic State between late 2014 and the start of 2019. A U.S. backed alliance of Syrian fighters announced that the group lost its last pocket of territory in Syria in March of this year, ending the "caliphate" it declared in 2014. ISIS once controlled 88,000 square miles of territory across Syria and Iraq.

Airstrikes from the U.S. coalition were vital in defeating ISIS and between September 2014 and January 2019, 33,921 airstrikes were conducted. Data released by the UK's Ministry of Defense shows that the Royal Air Force provided a major contribution, killing 4,013 ISIS fighters and injuring another 302. Of those, 2,994 were killed in Iraq while 1,019 were killed in Syria.

37 percent of the strikes were carried out by Typhoons while Tornados conducted 31 percent. Reaper UAVs accounted for the other 32 percent. The MoD released the figures to charity group Action on Armed Violence earlier this year following a Freedom of Information request and they were subsequently published by the BBC. The MoD also stated that its data came from "the best available post-strike analysis". It claims that only one civilian was killed in airstrikes conducted by the UK during the above period.