The Belgian newspaper “La Libre” reported that Belgian fighter pilots carried out 1,291 missions during 11,800 flying hours as part of the international coalition against ISIS over seven years, contributing approximately 5% of all air missions carried out by the coalition, without committing any “serious mistakes or causing civilian casualties.” The report, published on Tuesday, coincides with the tenth anniversary of Belgium joining the US-led international coalition against ISIS in 2014.
The newspaper stated that Belgium’s commitment continued through three phases over a seven-year period, contributing to the defeat of ISIS. The coalition aimed to stop ISIS’s advance in Iraq and Syria, where it had captured significant territories by the end of 2014, including the cities of Raqqa, Fallujah, and Mosul.
The Belgian part of the operation was named “Desert Falcon,” a nod to the United States’ designation of the F-16 fighter jet as “Fighting Falcon,” inspired by the environment over which the aircraft would operate. The mission included three objectives: securing airspace, gathering tactical intelligence about enemy elements, and neutralizing ground targets.
By joining the international coalition against ISIS since its inception and through its participation in air operations, Belgium quickly joined the “small group” of countries most committed to counterterrorism.
In three separate stages—from October 2014 to mid-2015, from July 2016 to the end of December 2017, and finally from October 2020 to September 2021—Belgian pilots flew 11,800 hours and dropped nearly a thousand precision-guided “smart bombs.”
Thus, Belgium executed about 5% of all air missions carried out by the coalition, without committing any serious mistakes or causing civilian casualties, according to the Ministry of Defense.
The US-led coalition against ISIS, officially known as Operation Inherent Resolve, has been actively engaged in combat operations in Iraq and Syria for several years. As of 2024, the coalition has continued to perform targeted raids and air strikes aimed at diminishing ISIS’s operational capabilities and preventing its resurgence.
Throughout the operation, US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that the coalition conducted numerous missions against ISIS targets. In 2023 alone, the coalition executed hundreds of missions in Iraq and Syria, underlining the persistent threat posed by ISIS despite significant territorial losses. The coalition’s efforts have involved precision strikes, often utilizing advanced weaponry like smart bombs, and have focused on strategic targets to dismantle ISIS’s command structure and logistics networks.
Belgium, as part of the coalition, has played a notable role in these military efforts. Belgian F-16s, operating under the mission name “Desert Falcon,” carried out 1,291 missions over a period spanning several years, contributing significantly to the coalition’s overall mission count. These operations were conducted without causing civilian casualties, emphasizing the precision and cautious engagement rules followed by the coalition forces.
Despite the formal end of combat missions, the coalition’s presence in the region has transitioned to a training and advisory role, helping to bolster local forces’ capabilities to maintain security and continue counter-terrorism operations independently.
