Share

MPs debate bombing Syria

Who is fighting who?

Advertisement

Daesh is the pejorative word used by opponents or people who do not support Islamic State to refer to the extremist group. “These terrorists are plotting to kill us and to radicalize our children right now”.

The vote expected Wednesday evening would authorize bombing inside Syria.

Cameron said the more than four-year Syrian civil war could not be resolved by military action alone, but that the strikes would “degrade” ISIS militants – which he said should be called Daesh.

“The soldiers, families, communities and refugees I directly spoke with are very grateful for the support of RAF air cover in helping them counter terror and extremism”, he said. The rhetoric was heated inside parliament as well, with Cameron calling for wiping out the “women-raping, Muslim-murdering, medieval monsters” of ISIS.

Meanwhile, the top North Atlantic Treaty Organisation commander in Europe, U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, has cautioned that the bulk of Russia’s air operations in Syria are still directed against moderate opposition forces and forces that oppose President Bashar Assad, not Islamic State positions.

Cameron announced the vote on Monday after Labour let its MPs have a free vote rather than trying to force them to oppose bombing in line with the views of its left-wing leader Corbyn. Mr Corbyn also urged the Prime Minister David Cameron to apologise, after he said MPs voting against the proposals to bomb Islamic State (IS) were “terrorist sympathisers”.

A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said Mr Cameron’s refusal to allow a two-day debate showed his case for war was “falling apart”.

A Lancashire MP has backed the call for United Kingdom air strikes in Syria to destroy the military capability of “sadistic death cult” ISIL.

In his response to Cameron during today’s debate, Corbyn said the Prime Minister’s comments “both demeans the office of the Prime Minister and undermines the seriousness of the deliberations we are having today”.

He said the UK’s involvement was “unlikely to make a huge difference” militarily and would lead to “mission creep” which could end with British troops on the ground in Syria – something which is explicitly ruled out in the Government’s motion.

The Prime Minister is likely to face tough questions about the scope of air strikes, their likely impact and how they fit into the strategy of helping to stabilise and rebuild Syria. “I respect the fact that governments of all colours have had to fight terrorism”.

A poll from YouGov for The Times suggested that support for the expansion of the airstrikes from the public had fallen to 48%, which is its lowest since September 2014.

Advertisement

But critics of the policy – including the 54-strong Scottish National Party – have been emboldened by criticism of Mr Cameron’s case from the influential Commons Foreign Affairs Committee and controversy over his claims of 70,000 moderate Syrian forces on the ground.

UK votes on whether to bomb ISIS in Syria