--
LONDON - British Prime Minister David Cameron says the UK cannot wait for a political settlement in Syria before taking military action against the Islamic State (ISIS) in the country.
Cameron has outlined the government's plan to MPs, ahead of a potential vote on expanding Britain's airstrikes from Iraq and into Syria, saying that is in the UK’s “national interest.”
“We do face a fundamental threat to our security. We can't wait for a political transition, we have to hit these terrorists in their heartlands right now. And we must not shirk our responsibility for security or hand it to others,” the British prime minister said in parliament.
Addressing concerns of legality, he said Britain would be acting in self defense. He also said Kurdish troops and the Free Syrian Army could assist the UK on the ground.
Inderjeet Parmar, professor of international politics at London’s City University, said: "I would think that's the most realistic, short term option available. So I think arming local forces, directing them more, providing logistical information, intelligence and air cover and so on....the problem with that is, of course, whom to trust."
Any expansion of Britain's airstrikes into Syria would require a vote in parliament. Cameron lost a previous vote on the issue in 2013 -- but analysts say a lot has changed since then.
Alan Mendoza of the Henry Jackson Society said: "The last vote was about striking Assad not about striking Islamic State, so that's the first big difference.
Secondly, we've just seen a wave of terrorist atrocities. And it would seem to be quite obvious that a number of MPs have changed their minds about the idea of getting involved full stop in Syria because they see non-involvement has led us to this point."
A vote could take place as early as next week. But even if he gets this vote through, Cameron admits that airstrikes alone would not be enough to defeat ISIS.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment