The motion before parliament asked MPs to approve “military action, specifically air strikes, exclusively against Isil [Isis] in Syria” as part of the global coalition against the Islamist militants.
Advertisement
The RAF strike force attacking Islamic State is being doubled as British war planes struck the extremists in their Syrian heartlands for the first time.
“There are plenty more of these targets throughout eastern and northern Syria which we hope to be striking in the next few days and weeks”.
Britain today began bombing Islamic State strongholds in Syria targeting the oil fields under its control, hours after a crucial parliamentary vote backed military airstrikes against the terror group.
Mr McPartland was one of seven Tories across the United Kingdom to not back their own government, but Prime Minister David Cameron got the mandate he required for action after 397 MPs voted in favour, and 223 against.
A Ministry of Defense spokesman said the planes had conducted strikes in Syria and details about their targets would be provided later on Thursday.
The jets, supported by a Voyager air refuelling tanker, an unmanned Reaper drone and other coalition aircraft, attacked six targets.
Six Eurofighter Typhoon jets and an additional two Panavia Tornado GR4s were dispatched to join a strike force of eight Tornados operating out of the Royal Air Force base at Akrotiri, Cyprus.
The ministry said no civilians were near the targets.
But the November 13 attacks on Paris that killed 130 people and were claimed by Islamic State have stiffened the resolve of many lawmakers.
The 66 Labour MPs who voted with the Government included shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn whose powerful appeal for actions against the IS “fascists” drew a rare round of applause for MPs on both sides of the House.
In David Cameron’s statement calling on the United Kingdom to be involved in air strikes he said “it will require “patience and persistence”.
“There will be strong support from our allies because they wanted us to join them in taking this action”, Mr Cameron said.
The government said Thursday that it had already hit key functions at the oilfield.
“The Omar oilfield is one of the largest and most important to Daesh’s financial operations, and represents over 10% of their potential income from oil”.
Britain has been bombing IS in Iraq since the House of Commons voted to authorise airstrikes in the Middle East country in September 2014.
Advertisement
About his decision to vote against, Mr McPartland said: “The last Parliament saw a awful day for democracy when the Labour Party tried to create political capital out of the suffering of innocent children, women and men in Syria”.
