A female fighter pilot yesterday led Britain’s first combat mission against Islamic State – as the RAF launched two waves of attack against the deadly terrorists. The unnamed officer piloted one of two heavily-armed jets that flew from a top-security RAF base in Cyprus on the dangerous sortie over IS-held territory in Northern Iraq, before returning safely to complete her 2,000-mile round trip. The sortie, lasting several hours, was the first mission for the RAF’s Operation Shader against IS militants. And last night two more Tornado GR4 aircraft took off from the Cyprus base, bound for Northern Iraq. Scroll down for video
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Unnamed officer flew from  RAF base in Cyprus on the highly dangerous sortie over IS-held territory in Northern Iraq
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The sortie, lasting several hours, was the first mission for the RAF’s Operation Shader against IS militants
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Pair of Tornado GR4 jets flew in support of Iraqi troops engaging IS terrorists in trench warfare below
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But defence sources conceded last night that neither of the Tornados engaged the enemy
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Both jets returned to RAF Akrotiri with their full payloads of rockets and ammunition intact
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Americans continued their heavy bombardment of key IS strongholds around the city of Raqqa, in Northern Syria
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It is believed British hostages Alan Henning and John Cantlie are being held there under threat of decapitation
Two British @placeholder tornado fighter jets land on an airstrip at RAF Akrotiri after returning from a mission over Iraq