Operation Shader

Operation Shader is the code name given to the British participation in the ongoing 2014 military intervention against ISIL. The operation began on 9 August 2014 as a humanitarian intervention, involving multiple aid drops and the airlifting of displaced refugees in Northern Iraq. As the crisis escalated, the Royal Air Force deployed six Panavia Tornado GR4 strike aircraft and a Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft to provide aerial reconnaissance to Iraqi ground forces and Kurdish fighters. On 26 September, following a formal request for assistance by the Iraqi government, the British government authorized the British Armed Forces to participate in US-led airstrikes in Iraq. On 21 October, the United Kingdom also confirmed surveillance flights over Syria.

Background
The British action was as a reluctant response to the genocidal persecution of the Yazidi people of Iraq by ISIL, leading to their exile, abduction of their women and massacres, during what has been called a "forced conversion campaign" in Northern Iraq by the militant organization Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Humanitarian response
Operation Shader began as a humanitarian intervention, providing essential aid to besieged minorities in Northern Iraq. The first British aid drops commenced on 9 August, when two C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, flying from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, dropped bundles of aid including 1,200 reusable water containers and 240 solar lanterns. A second air drop commenced on 12 August but had to be aborted due to the risk of injury to civilians. The aid drops resumed within 24 hours and two large consignments of aid were dropped over Mount Sinjar. During the same day, the Ministry of Defence announced the deployment of six Tornado GR4 strike aircraft of No. 2 Squadron RAF to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus to help coordinate aid drops using their LITENING III reconnaissance pods. Four Chinook helicopters were also deployed alongside them to participate in any possible refugee rescue missions. On the following day, on 13 August, two C-130 Hercules transport aircraft dropped a third round of humanitarian aid into Mount Sinjar. This was followed by a fourth and final round on 14 August, bringing the total number of air drops committed by the RAF to seven. The UK has since suspended its humanitarian aid airdrops, concluding that the humanitarian crisis in the area has improved.

On 18 August, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon disclosed during an interview that members of the 2nd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (2 YORKS) had been deployed on the ground in Irbil to help secure the area for a possible helicopter rescue mission. The battalion, which is currently the Cyprus-based Theatre Reserve Battalion (TRB) for Operation Herrick in Afghanistan, had left Irbil within 24 hours.

Reconnaissance
On 16 August, following the suspension of humanitarian aid airdrops, Operation Shader began shifting its focus from humanitarian relief to reconnaissance. The Tornado GR4's which were previously used to help coordinate airdrops were now being used to gather vital intelligence for Iraqi and Kurdish ground forces fighting ISIL militants. The Ministry of Defence also confirmed rumours that an RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft had been operating over the country.

Airstrikes
On 26 September, the House of Commons voted overwhelmingly in favour of British airstrikes in Iraq. Shortly after the vote, the Royal Air Force began preparing its Tornado GR4's stationed in Cyprus for armed sorties.

Listed below are all the airstrikes British aircraft have conducted in support of Operation Shader to date.

British Army

 * 2nd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (2 YORKS)
 * Advisory personnel at Iraqi headquarters

Royal Air Force

 * 8 x Tornado GR4 strike aircraft
 * 4 x Chinook HC4 transport helicopters
 * 4 x MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles
 * 2 x Hercules C4 transport aircraft.
 * 1 x C-17A Globemaster III transport aircraft
 * 1 x RC-135W Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft
 * 1 x Voyager KC3 tanker aircraft

Royal Navy

 * HMS Defender (D36)
 * Unknown nuclear-powered attack submarine

Tri-Service

 * United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

Intervention in Syria
Although the House of Commons has only authorised airstrikes in Iraq, Prime Minister David Cameron has insisted that there is also a "strong case" for airstrikes in Syria. He went on to state that any extension of airstrikes from Iraq into Syria would require another House of Commons vote, unless it was to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.

On 21 October, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that RC-135 Rivet Joint and MQ-9 Reaper surveillance flights were occurring over Syria.

Politics
British airstrikes in Iraq received overwhelming support from the House of Commons. During the vote on airstrikes on 26 September, the House of Commons voted 524 in favour and 43 against. Nevertheless there was criticism of the vote; Mrs. Rushanara Ali, Labour Party member of the British Parliament (House of Commons) said she would not vote in favour of British involvement in air strikes against ISIS but abstain her vote, because she was concerned – while acknowledging the "horrific and barbaric" actions of ISIS – that such British military action would create further bloodshed in Iraq. In her resignation letter to Labour leader Ed Miliband as shadow minister, Mrs. Rushanara, Bangladesh-born and Muslim, wrote that "there is a genuine belief in Muslim and non-Muslim communities that military action will only create further bloodshed and further pain for the people of Iraq". She added that she had 'no confidence' that the potential impact of such military action on radicalisation in the UK had been properly thought through.

On 2 October, some British jihadists threatened an "imminent" terror attack on the UK in revenge of British airstrikes on ISIL in Iraq.

On 3 October, the Iraq III No! anti-war activists, left-wing agitators and ISIL sympathisers rallied in Central London to protest against British airstrikes on ISIL in Iraq.

Manchester's leading Muslims condemned the murder of British aid convoy volunteer Alan Henning. Naved Siddiqi of the Islamic Society of Britain said there were "very clear distinctions" between the jihadists and ordinary Muslims on 4 October.