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UK to withdraw war jets from Syria, Iraq

Ersin Çelik
15:10 - 22/01/2019 Tuesday
Update: 15:11 - 22/01/2019 Tuesday
Yeni Şafak
An RAF Typhoon jet lands at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, April 13, 2018. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
An RAF Typhoon jet lands at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, April 13, 2018. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

Britain will pull out more than half its warplanes in Iraq and Syria next month, according to a report by English publication the Daily Mail.

In a surprising move, U.S. President Donald Trump on Dec. 19 announced the withdrawal of 2,000 troops from Syria. Trump made the decision during a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Eight of 14 RAF Tornados will be brought home, reducing the number of jets to six. However, Six RAF Typhoon fighter jets and up to ten Reaper drones will remain in the Middle East, the article continued.

“This in no way weakens our resolve to carry out missions against the deplorable regime,” said a senior defense source.

“The Syrian regime needs to know we can still hit its chemical weapons capability with Storm Shadow,” said a RAF source.

The United States, France and Britain launched 105 missiles overnight in retaliation for a suspected poison gas attack in Syria in April 2018, targeting what the Pentagon said were three chemical weapons facilities.

#Britain
#Syria
#US
#Trump
5 years ago