The British government has won a parliamentary debate to launch airstrikes on Daesh Takfiri (ISIS) targets in Syria.
During the 10-hour debate held on Wednesday, some 397 MPs voted in favour of the plan and 223 were against UK extending its airstrikes on Daesh targets from Iraq into Syria.
Following the vote, British Prime Minister David Cameron hailed the “right decision,” saying, “I believe the house has taken the right decision to keep the UK safe — military action in Syria as one part of a broader strategy.”
Cameron was one of the adamant supporters of the move to extend the current air campaign as part of a US-led coalition against purported Takfiri positions in Iraq.
British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond also welcomed the report saying the UK is “safer because of the actions taken by MPs today”. Military strikes alone won’t help Syria, won’t keep us safe from Daesh. But this multi-strand approach will.”
Hammond said British planes are now poised to join the airstrikes on within hours, adding that the first strikes could come as early as “tomorrow (Thursday) night”.
US President Barack Obama also welcomed the vote in a statement, saying, “Since the beginning of the counter-ISIL campaign the United Kingdom has been one of our most valued partners in fighting ISIL. We look forward to having British forces flying with the Coalition over Syria, and will work to integrate them into our Coalition Air Tasking Orders as quickly as possible.”
Obama also said he welcomed an announcement by the German cabinet on Tuesday that Germany would commit up to 1,200 troops to the fight against Islamic State militants.
Since August 2014, the United States and some of its allies have been conducting airstrikes against what they say are Daesh positions in Iraq.
Some members of the US-led coalition have also been pounding purported Daesh positions inside Syria without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate since September last year. – Press TV.
