UK 'will not hesitate' to launch airstrikes against ISIS-K in Afghanistan: British RAF

UK will ‘not hesitate' to launch the airstrikes against the terrorist outfit ISIS operating in Afghanistan, British Royal Air Force asserted on Tuesday, adding that the troops are “prepared to launch strikes to target so-called Islamic State terrorists in Afghanistan,” according to British newspaper Telegraph. Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, head of the RAF, told the outlet, “[RAF] We’ve got to be able to play a global role in the global coalition to defeat Daesh [IS] – whether it's a strike or whether it's moving troops or equipment into a particular country at scale and at speed.” 

The head of the RAF indicated the possibility of fresh strikes on terrorists as the US-led military presence was drawn down on the Taliban negotiated Aug. 31 deadline. But Sir Wigston warned that his Air Force was combat-ready should there arise a need to strike the Islamic State, also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh. UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Aug 31 stated that the UK is prepared to deploy “all means necessary” to combat IS if the terror attack concerns on the UK elevate.

"If there's an opportunity for us to contribute, I am in no doubt that we will be ready to," the RAF Chief stressed in an interview, adding that the RAF will attack “anywhere where violent extremism raises its head and is a direct or indirect threat to the UK and our allies.” 

[British military personnel arrive back in UK after the conclusion of Operation PITTING. Credit: RAF]

"Afghanistan is probably one of the most inaccessible parts of the world, and we're able to operate there,” Royal Air Force Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston re-iterated. Although when asked about more details about the military operation, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told Sky that he would "not comment anymore on operational details” at the moment. 

Raab, however, stressed: “Of course, in extremis, the UK retains the right to exercise self-defense and that must include in relation to terrorist groups operating from abroad.” He also said in his remarks that it remains for the UK to see that the Taliban “lives up to the explicit commitment that they've given not to allow Afghanistan to be used as a safe haven, let alone a base for terrorist attacks”. His comments were made in reference to the ISIS-K bomb blast on the Hamid Karzai International Airport that killed at least 13 US Marine but the British forces reported zero casualties. Although at least 2 British nationals were reported injured in the attack last week, whose responsibility was claimed by ISIS-K. 

[Credit: RAF]

UK's ambassador to the United Nations, Dame Barbara Woodward said in her remarks that  "a coordinated approach will be vital to counter any extremist threat emanating from Afghanistan".

"We will continue working closely together under the auspices of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS to effectively counter this dangerous threat," Raab said, reminding that the UK is a signatory to Global Coalition document to Defeat ISIS in Afghanistan.

"We will continue to apply robust counterterrorism pressure against ISIS wherever it operates,' he told reporters at a conference. "We will draw on all elements of national power - military, intelligence, diplomatic, economic, law enforcement - to ensure the defeat of this brutal terrorist organisation." 

Head of the United States Central Command (USCENTCOM) General Kenneth McKenzie meanwhile told reporters at a presser that [ISIS] remains “a very lethal force and I think we would assess that, probably, there are at least 2,000 Hardcore ISIS fighters in Afghanistan now.” “And of course many of those come from the prisons that were opened a few days ago. So that number is up and is probably as high as it's ever been in quite a while,” he added, confirming the final departure of US forces from Afghanistan.

[The final flight carrying UK Armed Forces personnel leaving Kabul. Credit: RAF]

Kabul airport 'uncontrolled,' US civil aircrafts barred from flying 

The end of the Western military presence in Kabul has now rendered the Hamid Karzai International Airport (KBL) in Kabul “uncontrolled,” and the US civil aircraft have been banned from flying over Afghanistan unless issued prior authorization, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement. KBL is now without air traffic control (ATC) services, it stressed. 

“Due to both the lack of air traffic services and a functional civil aviation authority in Afghanistan, as well as ongoing security concerns, US civil operators, pilots, and US-registered civil aircraft are prohibited from operating at any altitude over much of Afghanistan,” US FAA stated. But the FAA informed that US civil operators “may continue to use one high-altitude jet route near the far eastern border for overflights.”