British air strikes in Iraq have killed more than 1,300 Islamic State fighters in 12 months, according to new figures.

A further 111 militants are thought to have been wounded as a direct result of attacks by UK forces.

The figures have been released after a written parliamentary question by Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, who asked the Ministry of Defence how many militants from the terrorist group had been killed by British forces in Iraq from December 2 2015 to December 2 2016.

Armed Forces Minister Mike Penning replied: "During the period in question it is assessed that there were a total of 111 enemy wounded in action and a total of 1,306 enemy killed in action as a result of UK air strikes.

"The UK cannot visit strike sites and conduct detailed investigations on the ground in Iraq.

"Therefore the number of combatants killed and/or wounded is an estimated figure only."

In recent months RAF Typhoons and Reaper drones have been heavily involved in supporting Iraqi and Kurdish forces looking to liberate the city of Mosul in northern Iraq.