That’s an advantage because the coalition is reliant on the relatively weak national military in Iraq, and a patchwork of local groups to act as ground forces in Syria.
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Mr Raab added his support, saying: “I support British airstrikes, in self-defence with our allies, against Islamic State”.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, retired Lt. General Michael Flynn, former US Special Forces commander in Iraq and Afghanistan, referred to America’s invasion of Iraq in 2003 as “a huge error” that lead to the creation of Daesh.
Eliminating Baghdadi is seen as a particularly important goal, the official said, because he holds a unique role in being able to inspire and organize extremists beyond the territory held by the group.
In a policy reversal, the United States on October.
“But the terrorist threat to us is real and we must play our part in combatting this rather than leaving it to others”. Lawmakers in the House of Commons rebuffed Cameron’s call for a strong response to allegations the Syrian government had used chemical weapons in the civil war.
In Baghdad, coalition spokesman Col. Steve Warren says the strikes are in support of Iraqi operations to liberate Ramadi. Britain has so far given over £1.1 billion, surpassed only by the U.S., and would contribute at least another £1 billion for post-conflict reconstruction to support a new Syrian Government when they emerge.
The U.S. war, according to a schedule agreed upon with the Iraqis by President George W. Bush and initially respected by Mr. Obama, officially ended in December 2011. It was somewhat absurd for the British, who are major coalition players – we provide about a third of all strike capability against Daesh – not to be involved in Syria and only to be involved in Iraq. It is also becoming increasingly clear that Daesh, with its “capital” in Syria, is planning ongoing operations against civilian targets in the UK, Europe and worldwide.
GWEN IFILL: In London, British Prime Minister David Cameron made his final appeal in Parliament to expand the current British air campaign in Iraq to Syria.
Six of Lincolnshire’s seven Conservative MPs joined the government in voting for an extension of airstrikes against ISIL into Syria. The advice that the Prime Minister has received from the security services is that the United Kingdom is already in the top tier of countries being targeted by IS, and to target them is the only way to address that reality. Westminster last night voted for air strikes being extended from Iraq into Syria, the aim is to target and degrade the Daesh command and control network, their main supply routes and their terrorist control centres.
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The announcement of the targeting force comes one month after an American special operator, Master Sgt. Joshua Wheeler, was killed in a raid on an ISIS prison in northern Iraq, while helping Kurdish forces. ISIL have carried out attacks in Turkey, Lebanon and, of course, most recently in Paris.
