Dutch F-16 fighter jets taking part in bombing raids over Iraq and Syria are refusing to attack IS targets which are too close to civilians.

Avoiding civilian casualities is agreed during the planning meetings for the bombing missions, before an F-16 is in the air, armed forces chief Tom Middendorp told the AD on Wednesday.

Middendorp, who was speaking during a briefing on the Dutch mission against IS at the defence ministry, said this did not mean the Dutch were using a so-called red card to block bombing missions.

‘We only speak about a red card if the plane is already in the air and been told its target,’ he said.

The four Dutch fighter planes have been bombing pre-selected sites such as factories making roadside bombs or IS logistics centres for the past week. Previously they were giving air support to Iraqi and Kurdish ground troops.

The Netherlands extended it missions over Iraq to eastern Syria at the end of January.

Although Middendorp promised transparency about the mission, he would not say how often Dutch F-16s have bombed east Syria. ‘We do not want IS to link damage to a particular building to our efforts,’ he told the AD. ‘That could make us more liable to a counterattack. IS does not know which country does what. It is the coalition, not one country.’