Residents near RAF base tell about British jets hitting IS targets in Syria

British fighter-bomber jets taking off from a base in Cyprus started bombing sorties against Islamist State (IS) targets in Syria shortly after Parliament in London approved a proposal by Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron, local people said on Thursday.

Residents of Akrotiri village which is across the runway of the RAF base of the same name at a jetting peninsula on the southern shores of Cyprus said they saw four Tornado planes taking off in pairs shortly before sunrise.

They said the planes returned at day time several hours later.

Cyprus lies only about 100 kilometers from Syria's shores.

The strikes were later confirmed in London by British Defence Minister Michael Fallon who said the jets carried out successful strikes against Omar oilfields in eastern Syria.

Akrotiri air base, which is one of the busiest military facilities of the British forces because of its proximity to the fighting fields of the Middle East, has been used up to now for strikes against the IS in Iraq.

Britain, Cyprus' former colonial ruler, retained two bases when it granted independence to the eastern Mediterranean island in 1960, one at Akrotiri and one at Dhekelia, about 85 kilometers to the east.

Akrotiri residents recently complained that the constant taking off and landing of the British planes cause a nuisance as sorties usually start at dawn, disrupting their sleep. Endit