U.K. Carries Out First Airstrikes in Iraq

Ministry of Defense Says RAF Destroyed an Islamic State Arsenal and a Machine Gun-Mounted Vehicle

The Wall Street Journal

By JENNY GROSS

Updated Sept. 30, 2014 5:15 p.m. ET

LONDON—Britain's Royal Air Force carried out its first strikes in Iraq on Tuesday, destroying an Islamic State arsenal and a machine gun-mounted vehicle, the Ministry of Defense said.

Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday secured parliamentary support for the U.K. to join U.S.-led airstrikes in Iraq against the group, paving the way for the military to attack.

The Ministry of Defense said that Royal Air Force jets were tasked to assist Kurdish troops in northwest Iraq that were under attack by Islamic State terrorists. The military said that its initial assessment indicated the strikes were successful.

Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said British aircraft have been flying day and night since Parliament gave its approval for Britain to join the airstrikes against the militant group, also known as ISIL.

"Halting the advance of ISIL and helping the Iraqi government turn it back, and helping the Iraqi army and Kurdish forces to do that, is a huge task and is going to be a long campaign," Mr. Fallon said.

The U.S. military has carried out airstrikes against Islamic State strongholds in Iraq since early August and began an American-led air campaign against the group in Syria in September. American military officials said the U.S. said it continued its own military operations against Islamic State militants on Monday and Tuesday, conducting 11 strikes in Syria and another 11 in Iraq.

Both missions came without the assistance of five Arab states, which have participated in strikes against targets in Syria.

This week's strikes destroyed armed vehicles, checkpoints and observation posts, officials said.

The U.K. government was slower than it has been in the past to commit to military force in Iraq. France has carried out airstrikes in Iraq since mid-September, and Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands have also agreed to send warplanes into Iraq.

Other European allies have so far declined to commit military resources to Syria, citing the lack of a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing the use of such force.

And Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Tuesday said his cabinet was weighing Canada's next steps in the U.S.-led fight and would put any decision favoring a combat role before Parliament.

The U.K.'s involvement in the conflict has raised concerns among some lawmakers that the mission will expand to Syria.

Some say there is no way Islamic State can be defeated by airstrikes only in Iraq, while others have raised concerns about the legalities of intervening in Syria and the potential for British weapons to fall into the wrong hands.

Islamic State has claimed control of patches of eastern Syria and western Iraq during the past year.

—Felicia Schwartz in Washington and Paul Vieira in Ottowa contributed to this article.

Write to Jenny Gross at jenny.gross@wsj.com