Britain has killed more than 3,000 Islamic State (IS) militants in air strikes in Iraq and Syria, according to official statistics.

Figures to the end of July obtained by the Press Association under Freedom of Information laws show an estimated 2,684 fighters were killed in Iraq since bombing began nearly three years ago, with 410 dead in Syria since the start of operations there in December 2015.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said its records showed "no credible evidence" that civilians had been killed in RAF strikes but admitted: "That isn't the same as saying we have not or will not do so."

But Airwars, which monitors civilian casualties from international air strikes in Iraq and Syria, said it would be "statistically impossible" for the RAF to carry out hundreds of attacks without killing civilians.

The United States central command of the global bombing campaign against IS admitted in June to 484 civilian deaths as a result of coalition strikes to the end of April.

A summer spike in the number of IS militants killed in UK strikes in Iraq came as mainly RAF Typhoons and Tornadoes joined coalition bombing to assist Iraqi and Kurdish forces in the final stages of the battle for Mosul, which has now been liberated.

Meanwhile, the majority of fighters killed this year in Syria were in June and July, as Typhoons, Tornadoes and Reaper drones struck a number of targets in Raqqa, once described by former prime minister David Cameron as "the head of the snake".

US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led fighting group, said on Wednesday that the battle for the de facto capital of IS was in its "final stages" and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimated the force controls 90% of the city.

IS still controls large areas of eastern Syria and pockets of territory in Iraq.

The news came after Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said drone pilots could be awarded military medals under a review of how servicemen and women are recognised for their contribution to British operations.

Visiting British troops in Iraq, he also announced the creation of a medal for those who have fought IS, which he described as "the evil of our time", in the Operation Shader bombing campaign.

On civilian deaths, an MoD spokesman said: "Given the ruthless and inhuman behaviour of our adversary, including the deliberate use of human shields, we must accept that the risk of inadvertent civilian casualties is ever present, particularly in the complex and congested urban environment within which we operate.

"We do everything we can to minimise the risk to human life from UK strikes through our rigorous targeting processes and the professionalism of the RAF crews.

"While we've not seen any evidence that we have caused civilian casualties, that isn't the same as saying we have not or will not do so, especially in close urban fighting against a ruthless terrorist enemy that uses civilians as human shields."

Airwars monitors civilian casualties from international air strikes in Iraq and Syria.

The group's director Chris Woods attacked the MoD's response to the original request for information, which stated assessments of the available evidence "demonstrate that UK military operations have not caused any civilian casualties during the period".

"Air strikes by all parties remain the primary cause of civilian harm in Iraq and Syria," he said.

"The US, for example, has conceded around one death for every 40 of its anti-IS strikes.

"So the MoD's claim that its own 1,500 air strikes have not caused any civilian casualties is a statistical impossibility in our view, and suggests UK casualty monitoring is not presently fit for purpose."

By Arj Singh