BRITISH warplanes began bombing Iraq last night, targeting the terrorist forces of Islamic State for the first time.

The Ministry of Defence revealed that RAF Tornados, on their sixth sortie since MPs gave the go-head for military action last week, successfully destroyed a heavy weapons post and vehicle with a mounted machine-gun in support of Kurdish troops in north-west Iraq.

Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, confirmed the air-strikes against IS, also known as Isil, saying: "Two GR4 Tornados from RAF Akrotiri were tasked to assist Kurdish troops who were under attack by Isil terrorists.

"They identified and attacked a heavy weapon position that was endangering Kurdish forces and they subsequently attacked an Isil armed pickup truck in the same area. Both Tornados have now returned safely to their base and initial assessment is that both attacks were successful."

Earlier, Philip Hammond, the Foreign Secretary, stressed that UK forces would not be "panicked" into dropping bombs in Iraq by reports of gains by troops from IS.

"When we do release our weapons we have to be absolutely sure that they are against Isil targets, that they are not going to kill innocent Sunni Muslim civilians in areas that are occupied by Isil. Otherwise, we are having the opposite of the effect we are intending to have."

Contradicting earlier reports, he said he did not believe it was correct to suggest IS forces had advanced to the outskirts of Baghdad, stressing how there was a difference between the capital itself and Baghdad province.

"Baghdad is well-defended and we are confident about that; we will do this properly.

"We are not going to be panicked into just dropping bombs all over the place because somebody's reporting a movement (of IS forces).

"We have to make sure that we identify the enemy, we monitor their movements so we know where they are and then we attack precisely the targets that we need to attack."

Mr Hammond risked infuriating the French - who have committed more fighter jets to the campaign against IS - by dismissing the idea that their air force had the same capabilities as the RAF.

"If there is an air force in the world that can carry out this task while minimising the risk of civilian casualties and the risk of collateral damage, the RAF is the air force," he claimed.

"There is nobody who knows anything about air power who is suggesting that the French air force is a more formidable force than the RAF. It is not just about how many formations you have, it is about the training of your people, it is about the capability of your equipment, it is about the structure and the organisation."

Mr Hammond said he did not "particularly regret" admitting during an interview earlier this month that Britain had "no idea" where IS were holding foreign hostages.

"They probably would work out that we don't know or we would have done something about it," he admitted. However, the Secretary of State also appeared to suggest the position might have changed since then, saying merely that it "was the truth" at the time.

Meanwhile, the wife of kidnapped British hostage issued a renewed plea for Islamic State to release her husband.

Taxi driver Alan Henning, 47, from Greater Manchester, was kidnapped last December in Syria by IS militants. Barbara Henning, said: "I ask Islamic State please release him."

She added: "Some say wrong time, wrong place.

"Alan was volunteering with his Muslim friends to help the people of Syria. He was in the right place doing the right thing."