U.S. strikes to avert another 9/11: America deploys its awesome arsenal - including its new F-22 Raptor stealth fighter over fears Jihadis were about to launch attacks on passenger planes
- Target of missile strikes was Al Qaeda-linked group apparently nearing 'execution phase' of plot against the West
- Khorasan group has specialised in making sophisticated bombs for attacks against airports and passenger planes
- Terrorists planned to attack using bombs without metal parts, toothpaste tubes and clothes dipped in explosives
- Up to 120 ISIS fighters said to have been killed after cruise missiles were launched against hideouts and camps
- The attack on group was separate from airstrikes on 14 Islamic State targets carried out by US and five Arab nations
- Air campaign involved fighter jets from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Jordan - Qatar also named as an ally
- Fighter jets included America's £87m F-22 stealth Raptor - it is the first time the US has used the F-22 in combat
- Jets hit targets in and around IS stronghold of Raqqa, where the Western hostages were thought to have been held
Fears of an imminent terror atrocity to rival 9/11 prompted a wave of missile strikes in Syria yesterday.
The target was an Al Qaeda-linked group apparently nearing ‘the execution phase’ of a plot against airports and passenger planes in the West.
The American attack on the little-known Khorasan group was separate from airstrikes on 14 Islamic State targets in Syria carried out by the US and five Arab nations.
In the early hours of yesterday Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched against hideouts, training camps and a bomb-making factory used by Khorasan and Islamic State.
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Pinpoint: An ISIS vehicle storage area near Abu Kamel in Syria is destroyed by satellite guided munitions in the this video released by the Pentagon
Reduced to rubble: The remains of the vehicle storage area are scene in this image after the smoke has cleared
Levelled: A storage facility near Abu Kamel in Syria was also destroyed in the first round of U.S. strikes
Cluster bombs: An in-flight camera shows satellite guided cluster bombs destroying an ISIS vehicle staging post near Abu Kamel
Joint strikes: Aircraft from the Saudi Arabian air force were among those in the coalition supporting the airstrikes. A burning ISIS storage facility is seen near the town of Abu Kamel
Damaged: This Pentagon image (before air strike left, and after on the right) shows the damage inflicted on a ISIS Finance center in Raqqa, Syria after it was hit by a tomahawk missile
Destroyed: This Pentagon image shows an ISIS barracks near the city of Raqqa in Syria. The image on the right shows it after it was hit by F22 Raptors in the first combat role for the aircraft
Rubble: Syrians check a damaged house, reportedly hit by US-led coalition air strikes, in the village of Kfar Derian in the western Aleppo province
Residents inspect damaged buildings in what activists say was a U.S. strike, in Kfredrian, Idlib province
Coalition: President Obama today met officials from the Arab countries that joined the coalition for the strikes. Included in the meeting are representatives from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Iraq
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
Blast: Video emerged early this morning on Syrian Facebook pages showing the US-led airstrikes in Syria against Islamic State targets in and around the city of Raqqa
Fire: The attacks - described as 'shock without awe' - began in the early hours of this morning local time
Flash: A Tomahawk missile is fired from the USS Arleigh Burke warship towards ISIS targets in Syria
Pride: In a press conference this afternoon, U.S. President Barack Obama said the participation of five Arab nations in airstrikes against ISIS and Al Qaeda militants in Syria made it clear to the world 'this is not America's fight alone.' He added that the U.S. is 'proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder' with the Arab nations
Up to 120 IS fighters were said to have been killed in the attacks, which prompted fears for the safety of Western hostages taken by the Islamist extremists, including British taxi driver Alan Henning and photographer John Cantlie.
The Pentagon said the Khorasan cell of Al Qaeda veterans were nearing ‘the execution phase’ of an attack in Europe or the US.
The group of seasoned terrorists planned to 'imminently' attack a US airliner or other target using a bomb without any metal parts, toothpaste tubes and clothes dipped in explosives, an unnamed US official told CNN.
President Barack Obama ordered the strikes after intelligence reports discovered the plot this week, officials claimed.
While IS has focused on seizing territory in Iraq and Syria for an Islamic ‘caliphate’, the little-known Khorasan cell has specialised in making sophisticated bombs for attacks on the West.
Its latest plot focused on international airports and passenger planes. Intelligence suggested extremists were already in place in Europe and America, heightening fears they were ready to strike.
The US launched eight attacks against Khorasan targets west of Aleppo, along with the 14 strikes on IS helped by its five Arab allies.
The air campaign – described as ‘shock without the awe’ by one US official – involved fighter jets from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Jordan. Qatar was also named among the allies as it hosts a US Central Command forward base.
Awaiting orders: An F/A-18E Super Hornet and an F/A-18F Super Hornet prepare to launch from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush
Ready: An F/A-18C Hornet prepares to launch from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush
Littered: A man inspects the remains of what Islamist State militants say was a U.S. drone which crashed into a communication tower in Raqqa overnight
Syrian children hold up debris as they check a damaged house, reportedly hit by airstrikes in the village of Kfar Derian in western Aleppo
Syrian President Bashar Assad pictured meeting with Faleh al-Fayyad - the Iraqi National Security Advisor and envoy of the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi yesterday
The attacks began with the launching of 47 Tomahawk cruise missiles from two US guided missile destroyers, USS Arleigh Burke and USS Philippine Sea, operating from international waters in the Red Sea and the northern Gulf.
Fighter jets including America’s £87million F-22 stealth Raptor then continued the assault. It marked the first time the US has used the F-22 in combat.
The jets, backed by armed drones, hit targets in and around the IS stronghold of Raqqa - the de facto capital of the Islamic State - where the Western hostages were thought to have been held.
The first wave of strikes lasted for 90 minutes. Among the targets which reports from social media claimed had been hit were the house of the governor of Raqqa, the national hospital and the Equestrian Club.
Separate ISIS targets were hit in Deir al-Zor province in the north of Syria, where the terrorist group has also gained vast swaths of territory.
The air strikes were anticipated and residents said IS began evacuating its headquarters in the city three days ago.
Pentagon officials said it was too early to say how many fighters were killed or which IS facilities had been destroyed but described the strikes as ‘very successful’.
Satellite images showed heavily fortified buildings reduced to rubble by so-called ‘smart’ bombs and guided missiles.
Hospitals reported receiving the bodies of 48 IS fighters killed by air strikes near Abu Kamal, a town on the Syria-Iraq border.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a network of activists on the ground, said at least 70 militants were killed in northern and eastern Syria, with another 50 Al Qaeda-linked fighters killed near Aleppo.
Eight civilians, including three children, were reported to have died.
A British man who travelled to Syria to fight with rebels against the Assad regime was among those killed in the strikes, it was claimed.
Aid worker Tauqir Sharif, from Chingford, Essex, told Channel 4 News: ‘He was nothing to do with IS – he was defending the Syrian people, fighting against Assad.’
The US Defence Department said the strikes were the beginning of a ‘credible and sustainable, persistent’ campaign to defeat IS, and said more attacks were planned.
Targets included training compounds, command and control facilities, communication centres and munitions depots.
Syria’s envoy to the UN was informed ahead of the air campaign, but officials denied the strikes were coordinated with the government of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. A State Department spokesman said: ‘We warned Syria not to engage US aircraft. We did not request the regime’s permission.’
Destroyed: People inspect a shop damaged after a U.S. drone crashed into a communication station in Raqqa in the early hours of this morning, according to ISIS fighters
Analysis: ISIS fighters (left) load parts of the alleged U.S drone they say crashed in Raqqa last night into a van
Khorasan are a totally separate group to ISIS and, although little is known of their origins, they are understood to be made up of 'seasoned al Qaeda veterans'.
The cell comprises around 50 veteran Al Qaeda fighters from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen, led by one of Osama Bin Laden’s former lieutenants Muhsin Al Fadhli.
The group has developed next-generation undetectable bombs which can be hidden in clothing or electronic devices, or even implanted in the human body.
Airport security measures in the past year, including greater checks on phones, laptops and tablets, were introduced because of the threat of the new explosives.
Like IS, Khorasan appeared to have established a safe haven in Syria, where it tried to recruit Western IS fighters who would be able to travel and conduct operations in Europe and the US.
It is understood that the group's aim is not to fight against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, nor does it hope to acquire vast swaths of land like ISIS.
Instead Khorasan targets the thousands of young Western Muslims who have travelled to fight in Syria in recent months - many of whom have retained their passports and have made the journey without the knowledge of their home governments.
Khorasan's plan is to recruit and train this fighters not to carry out attacks in the Middle East, but to return to their home countries and commit catastrophic acts of terror there. It is understood that once such attack was 'imminent' which led to the U.S. targeting the group in air strikes overnight.
Crashed: An ISIS militant holds a piece of what the group claims is a US drone that fell to earth after colliding with a communications tower in Raqqa early this morning
ISIS fighters pray at the spot where the jihadist group said a US drone crashed into a communications tower
Propaganda: News of the airstrikes came as ISIS released a second video (pictured) featuring British hostage John Cantlie in which he criticises preparations for U.S-led attacks on them
James Clapper, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, said: 'In terms of threat to the homeland, Khorasan may pose as much of a danger as the Islamic State.'
'I can tell you that last night's strikes were only the beginning,' Rear Admiral John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters. He said the strikes had been 'very successful' and would continue, without going into further detail on future operational plans.
Another military spokesman, Lieutenant General William Mayville Jr., said that Arab nations - including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates - took part in the second and third waves of attacks. He said the Arab countries' actions ranged from combat air patrols to strikes on targets.
Pentagon press secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby said the decision to launch the strikes was made on Monday, only hours before US Air Force and Navy pilots were given their missions and targets.
Kirby said the strikes were ordered by Army General Lloyd Austin, the commander of US forces in the Middle East and South Asia 'under authorisation granted to him by the commander in chief'.
This morning British Prime Minister David Cameron released a statement saying he supported the strikes against ISIS by the U.S. and allies, and will now discuss what contribution the UK can make.
FIVE ARAB STATES JOIN IN AERIAL OFFENSIVE AGAINST ISLAMIC STATE FORCES IN SYRIA AND IRAQ
Five Arab countries played an active part in the air strikes against Islamic State forces in Syria and Iraq.
Saudi Arabia sent British-made Tornados, fighter jets were supplied by Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, and Qatar provided a forward airbase.
The participation of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar is especially significant in the attacks on fanatical Sunni militants because the four countries have majority Sunni populations.
The raids follow weeks of diplomacy by US secretary of state John Kerry in building an alliance to ‘destroy and degrade’ IS.
It is expected that Monday’s operations are only the start of a major air campaign.
All five Arab countries that took part in the air strikes are deeply hostile to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, but are now fearful of the fighters who have emerged out of the anti-Assad rebellion they backed. The government of Bahrain, which has a large navy, said in a statement that it and other Gulf nations had struck terrorist sites and positions.
A Jordanian government spokesman also confirmed his country’s air forces took part, accusing the Islamic State group of trying to infiltrate its borders.
‘We will not hesitate to take further actions to target and kill terrorists who are trying to attack our country,’ said Mohammad al-Momani.
It is extremely unusual for countries in the Gulf to take an active part in military operations and even more unusual for their warplanes to carry out strikes.
Qatar, which together with Saudi Arabia has been accused of providing support for IS, did not provide warplanes but is said to have taken ‘an active’ role in the operations.
The US has already launched 190 air strikes in Iraq since August. However, yesterday’s action expands the campaign against the militant group across the border into Syria.
The alliance opens the way for the US, Britain, France and Australia to use air bases inside allied Gulf states.
Several countries, including the UK, operate already from within UAE.
US officials hope that Turkey, with one of the world’s biggest armed forces, will now join operations, opening up another front against IS.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war in Syria, said at least 70 Islamic State fighters were killed in strikes that hit 50 targets in the town of Raqqa, and in Deir al-Zor and Hasakah provinces in eastern Syria.
In a sign of how Islamic State’s rise has blurred lines in Middle East conflicts, the Syrian government said Washington had informed it hours before the strikes in a letter from Mr Kerry sent through his Iraqi counterpart.
A Syrian foreign ministry statement refrained from criticising the US-led action. It said Damascus would continue to attack Islamic State and was ready to cooperate with any international effort to fight terrorism.
Only a year ago Washington was on the verge of bombing the Syrian government to punish it for using chemical weapons before cancelling the strikes at the last minute.
Tightly-controlled Syrian state TV interviewed an analyst who said the air strikes did not amount to an act of aggression because the government had been notified.
Plans: Sailors stand watch on the bridge of USS Philippine Sea while Tomahawk cruise missiles are launched from the guided-missile cruiser towards ISIS targets in northern Syria
‘This does not mean we are part of the joint operations room, and we are not part of the alliance. But there is a common enemy,’ said the analyst, Ali al-Ahmad.
U.S. President Barack Obama said the participation of the five Arab nations 'makes it clear to the world this is not America's fight alone.'
Speaking a press conference just hours after the overnight raids, Obama said the joint fight against ISIS will take time - but remains vital to the security of the United States, the Middle East and the rest of the world.
He said it was not possible to know how long U.S.-led operations against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq will last. In a letter to Congress following the air strikes, Obama said: 'It is not possible to know the duration of these deployments and operations.
'I will continue to direct such additional measures as necessary to protect and secure U.S. citizens and our interests against the threat posed by ISIL,' using another name for Islamic State.
He added that the U.S. is 'proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder' with the Arab nations in conducting the strikes.
Obama's comments came after America's top military officer Army General Martin Dempsey said the overnight airstrikes will have successfully shown the terror group that its attacks will not go unanswered, and that even strongholds such as the city of Raqqa do not represent a 'safe haven'.
Air strikes were launched from land bases in the Middle East, while the F18s were launched from the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, which is in the Persian Gulf.
'We wanted to make sure that ISIL knew they have no safe haven, and we certainly achieved that,' Army General. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in an interview with American reporters. ISIL is an alternate acronym for ISIS commonly used by U.S. officials.
Dempsey said the role of the five Arab nations in the airstrikes was indispensable to the U.S. goal of showing that the battle to degrade and defeat the Islamic State group is not just a U.S. fight.
'I can't overstate' the importance of the Arab role, he said, calling it an unprecedented coalition with Arab states and said the partnering has set the stage for a broader international campaign against the extremists.
Dempsey said the five Arab nations' agreement to join in the airstrikes came together quickly; as recently as Sunday but did not specify exactly what role each nation played overnight.
He told reporters that more Arab participation was needed before President Barack Obama would sign off on the strategic air campaign.
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
The aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush is pictured here. It is currently in the Persian Gulf and may have been a launching point for some of the aircraft that struck at Syria on Monday (FILE)
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
Retribution: ISIS (troops pictured here in Raqqa), meanwhile, has threatened retribution. Its spokesman, Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, said in a 42-minute audio statement released Sunday that the fighters were ready to battle the U.S.-led military coalition and called for attacks at home and abroad
Fleeing: Syrians carry their belongings near the Syrian border Sunday near the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province, Turkey as the Turkish deputy Prime Minister said some 60,000 Syrian had fled across the border as Islamic State (IS) militants shelled villages close to the border
Getting desperate: Thousands of Kurdish men, women and children are pictured carrying their belongings as they poured into Sanliurfa, on Saturday. ISIS has seized control of Kurdish regions in the north of the country and intensified their assault on Kobani, a town in a strategic position along the northern border
Catalyzing: The beheading American journalist James Foley and two other Westerners helped catalyze public fury over the increasing power of ISIS in Syria and elsewhere
Demanding a fight: The beheadings of American Steven Sotloff (left) and David Haines (right) have further enraged Westerners
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