This morning’s headlines are dominated by news that Mohammed Emwazi, better known as the ISIL executioner ‘Jihadi John’, has been the target of a US airstrike in Raqqa, Syria.
'Jihadi John'
It has been reported by all outlets this morning that ISIL’s most notorious executioner, Mohammed Emwazi, from west London, was the target of a US airstrike in Raqqa yesterday. The Pentagon said it was still assessing whether Emwazi had been killed in the attack on Thursday. Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said: "We are assessing the results of tonight's operation and will provide additional information as and where appropriate."
Prime Minister David Cameron made a statement in Downing Street on the US air strike earlier today.
Iraq
It is reported in the Daily Telegraph and The Times that RAF Tornados and ‘drones’ helped to open way for the ongoing Kurdish offensive on Sinjar in Iraq.
The Peshmerga claims to have taken the roads to the west, south and east of the town, which is home to the beleaguered Yazidi minority. The MOD said a Reaper drone destroyed a terrorist-held building, whole RAF Tornados have destroyed a series of ISIL positions. The Guardian says Kurdish forces claim to have severed a major supply line between ISIL's stronghold in eastern Syria and Mosul. They claim to have also secured other villages. They are backed by 7,500 ground troops and US air cover during the operation.
For more information on the UK contribution to the offensive see our air strike update page.
Armed Forces pay
In a letter to The Daily Telegraph senior retired Naval officers warn that Treasury proposals to deny members of the Armed Forces automatic pay rises are likely to damage morale and cause people to leave the Services. The letter also claims there is an “iniquitous disparity” between the Services on their harmony guidelines - the amount of time personnel should spend away from their home unit (whether in battle zones or performing other duties) including time on deployment. Details of the new pay model, including incremental progression arrangements, cannot be finalised until the outcome of the Spending Review is known. The issues around harmony are different in the three services, reflecting the differing structures of, and differing roles and duties undertaken by, each Service. It is right that the individual services develop harmony guidelines that are right for their conditions and allow them to operate within their single service budgets.
Army recruits
It is reported in the The Times and Daily Mail that the number of regular soldiers in the Army has fallen close to 80,000 as more have left the force over the past year than joined. These reports do not reflect that an increasing number of people are choosing a career in the Armed Forces with more than 13,000 joining in the past 12 months, an increase of 12.8% compared to the same period last year. The UK Armed Forces Monthly Personnel statistics for October 2015, published yesterday, also showed a steady increase in Reserves.
Julian Brazier, Minister for Reserves, said:
As an integral part of the UK Armed Forces, Reserves deliver many different capabilities at home and abroad, including operational deployments in Afghanistan and Cyprus, supporting emergencies, such as floods in the UK, or carrying out prestigious guarding duties at the Tower of London. Such opportunities highlight the diversity of exciting roles in the Reserves and the skills reservists have and I am delighted to see a steady increase in numbers, with more than 8,500 recruited in the past year – up by 65% compared to the previous year.
We have set ourselves challenging targets for reinvigorating the Reserve Forces, but today’s figures show significant increases in recruitment which we expect to see reflected in the trained strength over the next year as new recruits pass through their training.
Bloody Sunday
The Daily Mail reports that seven former paratroopers who are facing questioning over their role in Bloody Sunday have launched a High Court bid to prevent their arrest. The Ministry of Defence is not a party to these proceedings, which are being led by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). The MOD position is as follows:
We are aware that an application for judicial review has been submitted by a number of former soldiers against the Police Service of Northern Ireland in connection with their on-going investigation into the events of Bloody Sunday. That action has been taken by the soldiers concerned on the advice of their independent legal representatives.
MOD computer network
The Times claims that an upgrade to MOD computer software left tens of thousands of staff and troops offline.
A MOD spokesperson said:
Swift action was taken to stabilise the system and it has now been performing normally for over four weeks. There has been no adverse impact on the critical business of the department.
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