The UK Prime Minister, Theresa May has said, British military intervention in the middle east region was still needed to ensure that Daesh ( ISIS) did not regroup or give way to a splinter force. May was speaking to troops during a surprise Christmas visit to Cyprus. <br/><br/>The RAF base in Cyprus is at the heart of the UK's operations in Iraq and Syria. She said, with the efforts of Britain's armed forces the Islamic State terror group has been crushed in Iraq and Syria. <br/><br/>Praising troops, the Prime Minister said, it is from here that British forces conducted more than 1,600 air strikes against ISIS targets and supported more than 1,450 personnel working with Britain's allies in Jordan and Iraq to fight ISIS and prevent its re-emergence. <br/><br/>May hailed the RAF on the eve of its centenary, which is celebrated in 2018.<br/>