David Blair outlines the Arab coalition supporting US air strikes against Isil:
Five Arab countries are supporting the US air campaign against Isil targets in Syria, according to the Pentagon. But only Jordan has confirmed that its aircraft have actually carried out air strikes. All of the others have kept silent, raising doubts over whether they are flying bombing missions, or confining their role to offering bases and opening their airspace.
The very fact that Arab countries are part of the coalition at all, however, allows America to demonstrate that the anti-Isil offensive is not simply a Western campaign in the Middle East.
The states named by the Pentagon are as follows:
Saudi Arabia
With 305 combat aircraft, Saudi Arabia possesses the most powerful air force in the Arab world. The backbone of the kingdom’s striking power is provided by two squadrons of US-supplied F-15 Eagles and three of British-supplied Tornados. This makes Saudi Arabia ideally placed to operate alongside a Western coalition.
Whether the Royal Saudi Air Force has actually struck targets inside Syria is unclear. So far, the kingdom’s rulers have kept silent. They have traditionally been deeply reluctant to deploy their own forces in Western-led military ventures. The last time this happened was in 1991 when Saudi Arabia joined the coalition that expelled Iraq’s army from Kuwait. But this decision was relatively uncontroversial because the kingdom’s own security was directly threatened by Iraqi forces.
King Abdullah has repeatedly urged America to intervene in Syria, but he may not feel able to deploy his own strike aircraft in this cause. If the kingdom has not flown bombing missions against Isil, its part in the offensive may be limited to opening its airspace for US aircraft.
United Arab Emirates
The UAE has 201 combat aircraft organised into three squadrons of US-supplied F-16s and three of French Mirages. Last month, the country showed its ability to carry out air strikes when the UAE bombed Islamist militias in Libya’s capital, Tripoli. In 2011, the UAE also joined Britain and France in the campaign that toppled Col Gaddafi’s regime.
But the UAE shares the traditional Arab reluctance to join Western-led military offensives. Whether its air force is carrying out combat sorties in Syria is unclear. If not, the UAE’s role may be confined to opening its air space and allowing the US to use al-Minhad military air base near Dubai.
Jordan
With only 85 combat aircraft, the Royal Jordanian Air Force ranks among the smallest in the region. Yet it remains highly capable – and King Abdullah leads the only Arab government which has publicly confirmed that its aircraft are striking Isil targets in Syria alongside the US.
But this comes as little surprise. Of the five Arab states named by the Pentagon as supporting the offensive, only Jordan is directly threatened by Isil fighters. The terrorist movement has captured the area of Iraq along Jordan’s eastern frontier. Hence King Abdullah can argue that Jordan’s participation is essential for national security.
Qatar
Made rich by the revenues of gas and oil, Qatar has laid ambitious plans to re-equip its air force. At present, however, the country possesses only 18 combat aircraft – 12 French Mirages and six antiquated training jets. This makes it highly unlikely that Qatar is flying bombing missions in Syria.
But Qatar also hosts the regional headquarters of US Central Command and al-Udeid air base, which serves as the hub for all American air operations in the Middle East. So the campaign against Isil is almost certainly being coordinated and controlled by US commanders based in Qatar. Yet that is probably the limit of the country’s participation.
Bahrain
With only 39 combat aircraft, Bahrain’s air force is one of the weakest in the region. The fact that the Pentagon named Bahrain as part of the anti-Isil coalition is a surprise. The country possesses only one ground attack squadron consisting of 12 antiquated F-5 aircraft, a model designed in the 1950s. This means that Bahrain’s air force is almost certainly incapable of striking targets in Syria. Instead, Bahrain’s participation is probably limited to opening its air space and allowing the US to use military facilities on the island, notably the headquarters of the Fifth Fleet.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...yria-live.html