Saudi prince and Emirate's first female pilot lead the blitz on ISIS: Arab states send squadrons of fighters to blast terror group in Iraq and Syria
- Prince Khaled bin Salman has been pictured in the cockpit of his Tornado jet after a mission against Isis
- He was joined in the skies by the United Arab Emirate's first female air force pilot, Major Mariam Al Mansouri
- Fighters from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar and the U.S have all flown bombing runs over Syria
The
son of the heir to the Saudi Arabian throne has personally put the royal
seal of approval on the attacks against Isis, by taking part in bombing
runs.
Prince
Khaled bin Salman, the son of Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, has
been pictured in the cockpit of his Tornado jet after piloting it in
strikes against the terrorist group in Syria.
He
was joined in the skies by the United Arab Emirate's first female air
force pilot, Major Mariam Al Mansouri, 35, whose F-16 fighter was one of
several from a group of Arab nations that are blitzing Isis.
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Blitz on Isis: The son of Crown Prince
Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prince Khaled bin Salman, has been pictured in
the cockpit of his Tornado IDS jet after piloting it in strikes against
the terrorist group in Syria
The prince was joined in the skies by
the United Arab Emirate's first female air force pilot, Major Mariam Al
Mansouri (pictured), 35, whose F-16 fighter was one of several from a
group of Arab nations that are blitzing Isis
Courageous: Major Mansouri, from Abu
Dhabi, made a remarkable rise through the ranks of the UAE air force.
She's pictured here in an F-16 Desert Eagle
Fighters
from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, France and the U.S
have all flown bombing runs over Syria, with Britain set to add its
firepower to the alliance in the coming days.
The
Saudi prince is thought to have piloted one of four attack aircraft from
the Kingdom in a third night of missions against Isis, also known as
Islamic State, according to The Times.
There
are thousands of princes in Saudi Arabia, but Prince Khaled is from the
very top tier. His father is the First Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister of Defence of Saudi Arabia - and his father was the King.
It
reported that the prince's participation in the attacks was revealed by
the Saudi government not only to reassure the West that it is
determined to take a firm stand against extremist groups, but to send a
message to the Saudi population that Isis is an enemy of the Kingdom.
Strike aircraft from Saudi Arabia, the
UAE, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, France and the U.S have all flown bombing
runs over Syria, with Britain set to add its firepower to the alliance
in the coming days. Pictured is a Saudi F-15E that took part in a
mission against Isis
A Saudi Arabian air force pilot poses
for a photo at an undisclosed location on September 23, after taking
part in a mission to strike Isis
Firepower: Saudi Arabian air force
pilots pose for a photo at an undisclosed location after attacking Isis
fanatics. They're pictured here in front of a Tornado jet
Ready for combat: Saudi Arabian air force pilots sit in the cockpit of a fighter jet
Strong presence: Military leaders have
said about two-thirds of the estimated 31,000 Islamic State militants
were in Syria. The U.S. has also been increasing its surveillance
flights over Syria, getting better intelligent on potential targets and
militant movements
Some
have suspicions that Isis is being partly funded by wealthy Saudis – a
view bolstered by the fact that many in the country are sympathetic to
their views.
Abdulkhaleq
Abdulla, a political scientist with ties to the UAE government, said:
'Saudi Arabia is not shying away but there is a huge risk of a backlash
at home. I hope the U.S appreciates this.'
To
help win over hearts and minds in Saudi Arabia newspapers there printed
the pictures of the Saudi pilots with captions that explained that Isis
'damages the image of Islam and make it appear as a deformed religion
based on killings and beheadings', the Financial Times reported.
The photos were also accompanied by praise from Prince Khaled's father.
The prince's participation in the attacks is said, nevertheless, to have resulted in death threats.
Independent
Defence Analyst Paul Beaver told MailOnline that the Saudi Air Force
represents a huge boost to the alliance both militarily and
diplomatically.
He
said: 'In terms of diplomacy, it's fantastic to see royals
participating. We wouldn't want the prince put into a counter-air
environment, but the Tornado he pilots is more than capable of hitting
targets at range.
'Of
course, the Saudi Air Force has been involved in Iraq for 25 years. It
was involved in strikes against Saddam Hussein in 1991, so their
participation this time in some ways wasn't a great turn up for the
books.
'The
Saudis, along with U.S and UK aircraft, have a capability of delivering
precision-guided weapons and wouldn't be put in a situation unless they
could cope with it.
'Isis
do have the capability to hit aircraft, as they have surface-to-air
missiles and heavy machine guns. But the West is using precision weapons
at range such as the Storm Shadow. They're not capable of countering
those sorts of precision weapons.'
Major
Mansouri, from Abu Dhabi, made a remarkable rise through the ranks of
the UAE air force. She joined it in 2007 and is now a squadron
commander, according to Business Insider.
She is one of eight children and has a degree in English literature.
Iraqi SWAT troopers and an Iraqi
Shiite cleric (top left) inspect the bodies of Islamic State militants
during an intensive security deployment, north of Muqdadiyah, in Diyala
province
Attack: The U.S. has released footage
of Tomahawk missiles being fired from the USS Arleigh Burke - a guided
missile destroyer stationed in the Red Sea
An F/A-18E Super Hornet and an F/A-18F
Super Hornet preparing to launch from the flight deck of the aircraft
carrier USS George H.W. Bush in the Arabian Gulf, to conduct strike
missions against Islamic State (IS) group targets
Rolling out the Raptor: According to
reports, the $139million F-22 stealth fighter jet saw combat for the
first time ever during the strikes over Raqqa. Two of the jets are
pictured here, over Guam
A formation of US Navy F-18E Super
Hornets leaving after receiving fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker over
northern Iraq on Tuesday. These aircraft were part of a large coalition
strike package that was the first to strike ISIL targets in Syria
'WE'VE KILLED WORLD'S MOST WANTED TERRORIST': AMERICAN OFFICIALS BELIEVE MUHSIN AL-FADHLI DIED IN SYRIAN AIRSTRIKES
Airstrikes
in northern Syria killed the 'world's most wanted terrorist' before his
band of Islamist militants were able to carry out deadly 'toothpaste
tube bomb attacks' on the U.S. and Europe, American officials believe.
Muhsin
al-Fadhl, 33, was identified as the leader of the Al Qaeda-affiliated
Khorasan Group - a radical terror collective specializing in
intercepting Western jihadists on their arrival in Syria, and training
them to carry out deadly bomb attacks on targets in their home nations.
As
well as an American and Arab coalition hitting targets relating to ISIS
militants in Syria yesterday, the U.S. air force also independently
struck Khorasan as intelligence suggested the group were nearing 'the
execution phase' of a terror atrocity against a Western target that
could have rivalled 9/11.
Details
of the alleged death of al-Fadhl emerged this afternoon from a U.S.
military official speaking on condition of anonymity.
Despite
his relatively young age, the Kuwait-born militant was an Al Qaeda
veteran; joining the terror group as a teenager and becoming so close to
its leadership that he was among a select few with prior knowledge of
the 9/11 attacks in America, despite having only just turned 20 at the
time.
David Cameron said late Wednesday he will ask Parliament to approve joining international airstrikes against Isis.
He
urged Britain to shake off the spectre of the Iraq war and back
potentially years of RAF strikes against the 'psychopathic murderers' of
Islamic State.
MPs
have been scrambled for an emergency recall of Parliament tomorrow to
sanction bombing raids on terrorist positions in northern Iraq.
All three party leaders indicated support for air strikes, and the attacks are expected to begin as early as tomorrow night.
But the Prime Minister said the fight against Islamic terrorism could last for years.
Mr
Cameron, who last night held talks with Iraqi prime minister Haider
al-Abadi to finalise military plans, stressed that British troops would
not be sent back to Iraq.
In
a speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Mr Cameron
acknowledged the wariness felt by many in the international community
over military action in Iraq, following the decade of violence which
followed the US-led invasion of 2003.
But
he said it was vital to 'learn the right lessons - Yes to careful
preparation; no to rushing to join a conflict without a clear plan'.
Mr Cameron warned: 'We must not be so frozen with fear that we don't do anything at all.
'Isolation and withdrawing from a problem like Isil will only make things worse.
'We must not allow past mistakes to become an excuse for indifference or inaction.'
Action
against IS should be 'comprehensive, intelligent and inclusive',
working with partners in the region, potentially including Iran - whose
president Hassan Rouhani he met for historic talks at the UN.
And
he added: 'We should be uncompromising, using all the means at our
disposal - including military force - to hunt down these extremists.'
The
struggle with extremism must be waged not only against IS in Iraq and
Syria, but also against Boko Haram in Nigeria, Al-Shabaab in Somalia,
Ansar Al-Sharia in Libya and al-Qaida in Yemen, Mr Cameron said.
Meanwhile,
Turkey appears to be inching toward a greater role in the U.S.-led
coalition against the Islamic State after the group freed 46 Turkish
hostages, but it remains unclear how far it will go to combat the
militants.
As
the United States builds a military coalition including Gulf Arab
states to fight the radical Sunni militant group, Turkey has been
conspicuous by its absence, playing no public role in U.S.-led air
strikes on Syria this week.
While
Ankara had previously ruled out military action against its neighbour,
its tone changed after the alliance air strikes began this week.
'We
are seriously considering military cooperation with the United States
to combat IS,' a senior Turkish official told Reuters on Wednesday,
referring to the group by its acronym.
Barrage: An IS militant fires a heavy machine gun during the fighting
An IS militant firing a cannon mounted on a truck during fighting near the Syrian Kurdish town of Ain al-Arab,
It
comes as France opened the door to possibly joining air strikes in
Syria just hours after an Algerian Islamist group beheaded a French
tourist in retaliation for Paris' military action against Islamic State
militants in Iraq.
France
has repeatedly ruled out taking part in air action in Syria where
Islamic State has its power base. It fears that strikes against
militants there would leave a void that only Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad's forces could fill, making it difficult for 'moderate' rebels
to counter the more organised Syrian army.
But
the death of French tourist Herve Gourdel, who was beheaded in Algeria
just 24 hours after an ultimatum was given to France to halt attacks in
Iraq, appeared on toughen Paris' resolve.
'The
opportunity is not there today. We already have an important task in
Iraq and we will see in the coming days how the situation evolves,'
Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told RTL radio.
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