Dutch And Belgian F-16s Bomb Islamic "State"

The first Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) detachment of six F-16s this week returns to the Netherlands from the Mideast after having flown 375 missions using their weapons over 200 times against the so-called Islamic State (IS), the Dutch Ministry of Defense reported Jan. 7.

RNLAF F-16s conducted 20 missions over Iraq between Dec. 29 and Jan. 4, delivering 15 bombs on IS combat positions, deployment areas, vehicles and fighters, according to the ministry's weekly overview of operations.

For its part, Belgian Defense reported Dec. 30 that its six F-16s had flown 298 missions against IS, mainly reconnaissance, but also delivering GPS- and laser-guided bombs on IS positions. This included a night attack on a modular oil refinery used to produce fuel for IS vehicles.

Belgian Defense photo of its six F-16s in Asraq, Jordan