RAF warplanes pound the remaining IS strongholds

RAF warplanes are pounding the last toeholds of Islamic State in Iraq and its Syrian heartland, a defence spokesman said yesterday.

Typhoons and Tornados flying from Cyprus and RAF Reaper drones launched from Kuwait have destroyed targets including a jihadi convoy, a truck bomb factory and mortar teams in the past fortnight.

Several raids have been carried out on IS, also known as Daesh, in Dayr az Zawr in eastern Syria close to the terror group’s HQ in Raqqa.

The MoD said a Reaper north-east of Dayr az Zawr used a pair of Hellfire missiles against IS terrorists armed with rocket-propelled grenades.

In Iraq, Tornados and Typhoons had hit two groups of terrorists on foot, a manned trench and a convoy of trucks using a combination of Paveway laser-guide bombs and Brimstone missiles.

Other attacks included a raid by Tornados on a truck-bomb factory in western Iraq while last week Typhoons supported Iraqi forces which liberated the town of Hawijah.

Among the targets hit in the Dayr az Zawr area were IS fighters and buildings being used as fortresses for snipers.

An MoD spokesman said: “Intelligence had confirmed that a group of three buildings was being used as a base by Daesh.

“Two Typhoons conducted a carefully planned attack. Each of the three buildings was struck with a Paveway.”

In Raqqa RAF Tornados carried out a precision raid in support of Syrian Democratic Forces.

And on Saturday, Typhoons operated over Raqqa, bombing three more terrorist positions.

In the past three years the RAF has carried out more than 1,500 air strikes against IS and killed more than 3,000 extremists.