Britain's Ministry of Defense says UK pilots have conducted airstrikes on targets in Syria while embedded with other military forces fighting the Islamic State group.
Defense officials confirmed Friday that pilots acting under the command of other forces, such as the United States and Canada, have conducted the strikes.
The admission, made after a Freedom of Information request by the human rights group Reprieve, is important because Britain's Parliament has only approved strikes on neighboring Iraq.
UK is not currently conducting air strikes in Syria. Embed programme with allies is long-standing. Full statement: pic.twitter.com/jwiPtQm7I2— Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) July 17, 2015
Britain has been carrying out surveillance and air-to-air refueling over Syria. Defense Secretary Michael Fallon has argued recently that lawmakers should also consider backing airstrikes.
"It is alarming that Parliament and the public have been kept in the dark about this for so long," Reprieve said in a statement.
“Yet more worrying is the fact that the UK seems to have turned over its personnel to the US wholesale, without the slightest idea as to what they are actually doing, and whether it is legal."
The defense ministry said Friday that although there are currently no British pilots operating in this region, "when embedded, UK personnel are effectively operating as foreign troops."
Additional reporting by Mashable.