UAE relaunches bombing runs
DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates launched air strikes yesterday against the Islamic State (IS) group from an air base in Jordan, marking its return to combat operations against the militants after it halted flights late last year.
The General Command of the UAE Armed Forces said Emirati F-16s carried out a series of strikes yesterday morning, according to a brief statement carried by t he Gulf nation’s official WAM news agency.
The fighters returned safely back to base after striking their targets, the statement said. It did not elaborate, nor did it say whether the strikes happened in Syria or Iraq.
The Emirates, an oil-rich federation that includes Abu Dhabi and Dubai, is one of the most prominent Arab members of the US-led coalition against the IS.
American officials say the country halted air strikes in December after a Jordanian pilot, Lt Maaz al-Kaseasbeh, was captured when his plane crashed behind enemy lines.
The Emirates had not commented on the suspension, and yesterday’s statement was the first confirmation it had restarted combat operations.
Its return to the fight came days after it ordered the deployment of a squadron of F-16s to Jordan, a close ally of both the US and the Emirates that has pledged harsh retaliation for the gruesome killing of its pilot.
Previous Emirati air strikes had been in Syria, making that the most likely site of its latest targets.
The Emirati announcement came as Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad said in comments published yesterday that his government has been receiving general messages from the US military about air strikes targeting the IS group inside Syria but that there is no direct cooperation.
In an interview with the BBC, Mr Assad said the messages are conveyed through third parties, such as Iraq.
“Sometimes they convey message, general message, but there’s nothing tactical,” he said.
American and allied Arab planes share the skies with Mr Assad’s air force, which also targets the militants.
Mr Assad also denied his forces have used barrel bombs, which have killed thousands of civilians, according to Syrian activists.
“I know about the army, they use bullets, missiles, and bombs. I haven’t heard of the army using barrels, or maybe, cooking pots,” Mr Assad said. Pressed about their use, he replied: “They’re called bombs ... There are no barrel bombs; we don’t have barrels.”