Dutch F-16s drop first bombs in Iraq

October 07, 2014

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This morning 2 Dutch F-16s used their weapons for the first time in the fight against terrorist organisation ISIS in Iraq. The fighter pilots dropped a total of 3 bombs on armed ISIS vehicles that were firing at Peshmerga fighters in the north of the country. A number of vehicles were destroyed during the attack and ISIS fighters may have been killed.

Archive photo: A Dutch F-16 taking off from Leeuwarden Air Base.

The 8 fighters, including 2 reserve aircraft, the Netherlands is using in the fight against ISIS have been in the area of operations since last Friday. F-16s carried out their first sorties on Sunday without using their weapons.

The F-16s are not only suitable for bombing ISIS camps and command posts, but also for targeting ammunition dumps and military equipment such as tanks and mortar launching sites. They also provide air support to ground troops, in this case, Iraqi troops and Kurdish fighters fighting against ISIS.

Source : MOD Netherlands