Luftangriffe gegen ISIS: Probleme mit mangelnder Aufklärung

RAF CONDUCTS FIRST AIR STRIKES OF IRAQ MISSION

Die Luftangriffe vor allem der USA, aber auch der Briten gegen Ziele der islamistischen ISIS-Terrorgruppen im Irak und in Syrien gehen in diesen Tagen unvermindert weiter. Auch wenn es für die Angriffe auf Ziele gerade in Syrien nur eine recht lückenhafte Aufklärung gibt, wie AP berichtet:

US Airstrikes In Syria Are Based On Startlingly Little Intelligence
The Pentagon is grappling with significant intelligence gaps as it bombs Iraq and Syria, and it is operating under less restrictive targeting rules than those President Barack Obama imposed on the CIA drone campaign in Pakistan and Yemen, according to current and former U.S. officials.

The U.S. military says its airstrikes have been discriminating and effective in disrupting an al-Qaida cell called the Khorasan Group and in halting the momentum of Islamic State militants. But independent analysts say the Islamic State group remains on the offensive in areas of Iraq and Syria, where it still controls large sections. And according to witnesses, U.S. airstrikes have at times hit empty buildings that were long ago vacated by Islamic State fighters.

Was natürlich die Frage nach der Effizienz dieser Luftschläge aufwirft.

Am (gestrigen) 30. September haben die britischen Tornados bei der Bekämpfung von ISIS im Irak erstmals ihre Waffen eingesetzt; zuvor hatte es Aufklärungsflüge, auch bewaffnete, gegeben. Dabei schlug die Royal Air Force mit der lasergelenkten Paveway IV-Bombe und mit der Panzerabwehrlenkrakete Brimstone zu.

Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 aircraft have been in action over Iraq today as part of the international coalition’s operations to support the democratic Iraqi Government in the fight against ISIL.
In the course of an armed reconnaissance mission from RAF Akrotiri, two Tornados were tasked to assist Kurdish troops in north-west Iraq who were under attack from ISIL terrorists.
On arriving overhead, the RAF patrol, using their Litening III targeting pod, identified an ISIL heavy weapon position which was engaging Kurdish ground forces. One Paveway IV guided bomb was used to attack the ISIL position. Following this engagement, the patrol identified an ISIL armed pick-up truck in the same area and conducted an attack on the vehicle using a Brimstone missile. An initial assessment indicates that both precision strikes were successful.

Den Brimstone-Angriff auf ein Fahrzeug hat die RAF nicht nur dokumentiert, sondern auch die Bilder dazu veröffentlicht. Diese Fotos zeigen den Weg der Rakete innerhalb weniger Sekunden; die Brimstone ist dabei mit einem roten Kreis markiert:

RAF CONDUCTS FIRST AIR STRIKES OF IRAQ MISSION

RAF CONDUCTS FIRST AIR STRIKES OF IRAQ MISSION

RAF CONDUCTS FIRST AIR STRIKES OF IRAQ MISSION

RAF CONDUCTS FIRST AIR STRIKES OF IRAQ MISSION

RAF CONDUCTS FIRST AIR STRIKES OF IRAQ MISSION

RAF CONDUCTS FIRST AIR STRIKES OF IRAQ MISSION

RAF CONDUCTS FIRST AIR STRIKES OF IRAQ MISSION

 

(Alle Fotos: Royal Air Force/Crown Copyright under MoD News License)