HMS Daring joins campaign against ISIL

UK warship HMS Daring has been deployed to the Gulf as the UK’s latest contribution to the campaign against ISIL.

The ship sailed from Portsmouth, along with its 190-strong crew, on Friday 27 August, with an aim to use its sophisticated radar and missile systems to protect US aircraft carriers as they strike at terrorists in Iraq and Syria.

HMS Daring will provide vital information to the coalition’s Combined Air Operations Centre in Al Udeid, Qatar and carry out several patrols of world’s busiest shipping routes.

The nine-month deployment follows on from that of HMS Defender, which carried out a similar role earlier this year.

Commenting on the new deployment, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: “All three armed services are making a vital contribution to defeating Daesh (ISIL). RAF aircraft are hitting the terrorists daily on the ground; the Army is providing counter explosives training to Iraq troops; the Royal Navy helps protect coalition carriers in the Gulf as they launch strikes.

“With the biggest defence budget in Europe and the second biggest in NATO our Armed Forces are making a real difference around the world.”