Operation Shader

BelligerentsUnited KingdomIslamic StateCommanders and leadersAbu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi (caliph of IS)
Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi†
Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi†
Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi†
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi†
Abu Alaa Afri†
Abu Suleiman al-Naser†
Abu Ali al-Anbari†
Abu Omar al-Shishani†Units involvedRoyal Air Force
British Army
Royal NavyMilitary of the Islamic StateStrength See Deployed forces

• 9,000–18,000 (U.S. intelligence estimate, January 2015)
• 20,000–31,500 (CIA estimate, September 2014)
  * 850 British jihadists

Casualties and losses 3 servicemen killed (2 non-combat)
2 servicemen wounded
8 volunteer SDF fighters killed
2 volunteer aid workers murdered
1 journalist missing 4,066 killed, 303 injured (per UK, 2021)

Operation Shader is the operational code name given to the contribution of the United Kingdom in its war against the Islamic State. The operation involved the British Army providing ground support and training to allied forces fighting against IS, the Royal Air Force providing humanitarian aid airdrops, reconnaissance and airstrikes, and the Royal Navy providing reconnaissance and airstrikes from the UK carrier strike group and escort to allied carrier battle groups. Additionally, British special forces had reportedly operated in Iraq, Syria, and Libya.

In January 2019, the Ministry of Defence stated that 1,700 British airstrikes so far had killed or injured 4,315 enemy fighters in Iraq and Syria, with one civilian casualty. The RAF had also delivered £230 million worth of humanitarian aid. Overall, the operation had resulted in a net cost of £1.75 billion. The number of airstrikes carried out in Iraq and Syria has been second only to the United States, with a report that the RAF has conducted 20 percent of all airstrikes. The operation became the most intense flying mission the RAF had undertaken in 25 years.

On 28 September 2024, the Ministry of Defence announced that British jets would cease strike operations over Iraq and Syria following the conclusion of the Global Coalition's military mission against IS, which would draw to a close over the next 12 months. However, the RAF resumed operations against IS, reflecting the coalition's assessment that the threat persisted and required ongoing military pressure.