British Jets Strike IS Jihadists West of Baghdad

British fighter jets fired on Islamic State (IS) militants west of Baghdad and in northwest Iraq in two rounds of air strikes Wednesday, the defense ministry in London said.

Two Royal Air Force (RAF) Tornado warplanes based in Cyprus fired four Brimstone missiles on two IS vehicles, including an armed pick-up truck, the ministry said in a statement.

"Two Tornado GR4s from RAF Akrotiri conducted an armed reconnaissance mission in support of Iraqi government forces west of Baghdad," it said.

"They were tasked to examine a location suspected of being used as an ISIL (another term for IS) command and control position. 

"At the scene they were able to identify ISIL activity and two vehicles, one of which was an armed pick up truck."

The missiles were used "to conduct a precision attack on the vehicles," it said.

Two British jets also fired on IS jihadists fighting Kurdish forces.

"The aircraft pin-pointed the location from which ISIL fighters were directing heavy fire on the Kurdish troops and conducted a precision strike with Paveway IV guided bombs," the ministry said.

The British parliament last week approved a motion to join in a U.S.-led military campaign against IS jihadists operating in Iraq.

The RAF conducted its first strikes on Tuesday, bombing an artillery post and an armed truck used by the IS militants. 

It did not say where, but said the strikes aided Kurdish troops in the area.

Senior government minister Iain Duncan Smith on Tuesday revealed that both parties in Britain's coalition government were also in favor of action against IS fighters in Syria, but that it was blocked by the opposition Labor party.