File Photo: RAF Tornado

Britain’s Ministry of Defence says warplanes have taken off for their first combat mission over Iraq since its parliament approved airstrikes targeting the Islamic state of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group.

The Tornado GR4 aircraft took off from RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus on Saturday, hours after Britain joined the US-led coalition of nations that are launching airstrikes against the extremists.

The Ministry of Defence says that the Tornados “are now ready to be used in an attack role as and when appropriate targets are identified”.

Prime Minister David Cameron has described UK involvement as critical to security on home soil, arguing that facing down terrorists has become a matter of urgency.

He says the hallmarks of the campaign would be “patience and persistence, not shock and awe”.

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