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ISIS and Air Strikes

markysimmo

Johnny nice-tits
So a vote is taking place at 5pm about the UK getting involved in Iraq, etc

What do people think about it here, its clear these ISIS Jihadists pose a real threat to the safety of people round the world, you just think its a matter of time before a major terrorist attack happens somewhere again, its a little worrying


Britain cannot 'walk on by' in the face of the threat posed by 'psychopathic terrorists', David Cameron warned today as he urged MPs to back air strikes in Iraq.

The Prime Minister told a packed House of Commons that ISIS is a terrorist group like no other, responsible for 'staggering brutality' and posing a direct threat to the British people.

MPs are expected to back sending RAF Tornados to destroy carefully chosen targets in Iraq in a vote at 5pm.

But divisions emerged over expanding action into neighbouring Syria, with Mr Cameron insisting there is a 'strong case' for action but Labour leader Ed Miliband blocking it without a UN Security Council resolution - which Russia is certain to veto

MPs have been recalled to Westminster today to vote on British involvement in air strikes against ISIS - also known as Islamic State or ISIL - in Iraq, at the request of the Iraqi government.

Six RAF Tornados have been stationed in Cyprus for the past six weeks and have been flying surveillance flights over northern Iraq.

They could begin dropping bombs and missiles within hours of the Prime Minister giving orders after the Commons vote at 5pm

There is growing consensus on the principle of air strikes in Iraq, even backed by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. But there were repeated calls for the action to be replicated in Syria.

Mr Miliband said it would be 'better' to seek a UN Security Council resolution on action in Syria

But former Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell said the demand was 'wholly pointless', as MPs from across the political spectrum said it made no sense to not to include Syria in today's vote.

Opening the debate, Mr Cameron said: 'There is no more serious issue than asking our armed forces to put themselves in harm's way to protect our country.'

He insisted British involvement in military action in Iraq was necessary and in the national interest, working with local partner countries to build an international coalition.

He admitted the 2003 invasion of Iraq by Tony Blair's government 'hangs heavy' over the Commons, but warned today's situation is 'very different'.

'This is not 2003, we must not use past mistakes as an excuse for indifference or inaction,' the PM added.

He said the UK has a 'duty' to act and could not leave responsibility for keeping the British people safe to other countries.

'Is there a threat to the British people? The answer is yes,' he said. 'ISIL has already murdered one British hostage and has threatened to murder two more.'

Mr Cameron added: 'ISIL is a terrorist organisation unlike those we have dealt with before.

'The brutality is staggering - beheadings, crucifixions, gauging out of eyes, use of *struggle cuddle* as a weapon. All those things belong to the dark ages.'

Challenged by Labour MP David Winnick, who warned previous interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, had ended in failure, Mr Cameron insisted doing nothing was not an option.

'This is about psychopathic terrorists who are trying to kill us. Like it or not they have already declared war on us. There isn't a walk on by option.'

Labour veteran Dennis Skinner intervened to ask the Prime Minister: 'How long will this war last and when will mission creep start?'

Mr Cameron replied: 'This is going to be a mission that will take not just months but years, but I believe we have to be prepared for that commitment.'

The Cabinet unanimously backed military action against ISIS yesterday, and the Government is expected to secure a large majority in Parliament later.

But the motion to be debated in Parliament today explicitly rules out strikes in Syria, and a separate vote would be needed for British warplanes to expand their targets

Mr Cameron hinted that opposition from the Labour party meant today's debate was narrowly focussed on Iraq.

He said there was a 'strong case' for UK action in Syria but he 'did not want to bring motion to the House that there wasn't consensus for'.

He backed the US-led air strikes against ISIS targets in Syria, but no British action can be taken there without a further debate and vote at Westminster.

'I do believe there is a strong case for us to do more in Syria but I did not want to bring a motion to the House today which there wasn't consensus for,' he said

'It's better if our country can proceed on the basis of consensus.'

He added that he did not believe there was a 'legal barrier' to action in Syria but he acknowledged the situation there was 'more complicated' than in Iraq because of the civil war and the position of President Assad.

Most Conservative and Lib Dem MPs are expected to back military action in Iraq, but some Labour MPs are likely to defy Mr Miliband's support to vote against it.

Mr Miliband told MPs he was supporting the government motion for air strikes against ISIS in Iraq.

He said: 'Let us be clear at the outset what is the proposition: air strikes against ISIL in Iraq.

'Not about ground troops. Nor about UK military action elsewhere. And it is a mission specifically aimed at ISIL.'

Mr Miliband added: 'It is not simply that ISIL is a murderous organisation, it has ambitions for a state of its own - a Caliphate across the Middle East, run according to their horrific norms and valuesSo we cannot stand by against the threat of ISIL.

'But in acting against them we need to learn the lessons from the past. That means a comprehensive strategy, humanitarian and political as well as military, rooted in the region.

'Some of this is underway. More needs to be done.

'I believe although this is difficult, this is the right thing to do. There is no graver decision for our Parliament and our country.

'But protecting our national interest, security and the values for which we stand is why I will be supporting the motion this afternoon.'

Sir Richard Ottaway, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said he feared deaths if British action takes place.

But he said he would back the Government's proposal for Iraq with 'a feeling of depression and trepidation', although he also called for it to be extended to Syria.

Former Tory Cabinet minister Ken Clarke described Britain's involvement in military action as largely symbolic.

But the senior Conservative MP said the symbolism was important as it will help the UK influence the diplomacy and politics needed to stabilise the Middle East.

Mr Clarke said: 'I am left with the feeling that certainly I should support this motion because some of our best allies are taking part in this intervention.

'But I still think we're at the early stages of working out exactly where we're going and I do think that our almost symbolic participation in these military attacks - six aircraft and our intelligence are no doubt valuable to our allies - but we're symbolically joining with them.'

Conservative MP Edward Leigh (Gainsborough) questioned whether the Government was 'seriously contending that by air strikes alone we can roll back Isil' and added: 'Is this gesture politics'.

Tory John Baron (Basildon and Billericay) questioned whether western air strikes could be 'actively counter productive'.

Green MP Caroline Lucas (Brighton Pavilion) told the Prime Minister: 'Killing extremists does not kill their ideas.'

Respect MP George Galloway said the bombing should be left to Saudi Arabia, Turkey and other countries in the region.

'The last people who should be returning to the scene of their former crimes are Britain, France and the United States of America,' he added.

The debate comes amid warnings the RAF has been reduced to the 'bare bones' by defence cuts.

Former head of the RAF, Air Chief Marshall Sir Michael Graydon, said the RAF was at rock bottom after years of cuts.

He said the RAF was already committed to defending UK air space as well as operations in Afghanistan, Nigeria, and the Falklands.

'The lack of combat aircraft is a major weakness,' he said. 'This has been raised time and time again and basically ignored. We really are at rock bottom. To sustain this operation is going to be quite a stretch.'

Air Commodore Andrew Lambert added: 'I think it's do-able, but we are really scraping the bottom of the barrel, so let's hope Ukraine doesn't bubble up into something nasty.'

But Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond denied the use of only six aircraft suggested Britain was not fully committed to the operation.

'We are not contributing in a half-hearted manner,' the Foreign Secretary said. 'There are many aspects to this campaign, it isn't just about airstrikes.

'It's about a much broader package of support for countries in the region to deal with this emerging threat.

'And we won't defeat ISIL with military action alone. We have to defeat it through an intelligent, political approach as well - cutting off the financial flows, the flows of foreign fighters, making sure that people can't get to and from Isil strongholds...and challenging its narrative.'

Mr Cameron was humiliated a year ago when he lost a Commons vote on military action to support rebels seeking to overthrow the Assad regime in Syria.

Number 10 has deliberately taken its time in building consensus on military action.

Mr Cameron will open the debate on this morning, and his deputy Lib Dem Nick Clegg will close it before the vote.

Addressing the UN Security Council in New York this week, Mr Cameron said ISIS had behaved with 'medieval barbarity'.

'One of the most disturbing aspects is how this conflict is sucking in our own young people, from modern, prosperous societies,' the Prime Minister said.

Today's Commons motion stresses that the proposes action is aimed at 'supporting the Government of Iraq in protecting civilians and restoring its territorial integrity, including the use of UK air strikes to support Iraqi, including Kurdish, security forces' efforts against ISIL in Iraq'.

It stresses that the British government 'will not deploy UK troops in ground combat operations' and insist that the motion 'does not endorse UK air strikes in Syria as part of this campaign and any proposal to do so would be subject to a separate vote in Parliament'.


ACTION AGAINST ISIS: FULL MOTION BEING DEBATED IN PARLIAMENT

This is the text of the motion debated by MPs:

'That this House condemns the barbaric acts of ISIL against the peoples of Iraq including the Sunni, Shia, Kurds, Christians and Yazidi and the humanitarian crisis this is causing;

'Recognises the clear threat ISIL poses to the territorial integrity of Iraq and the request from the Government of Iraq for military support from the international community and the specific request to the UK Government for such support;

'Further recognises the threat ISIL poses to wider international security and the UK directly through its sponsorship of terrorist attacks and its murder of a British hostage;

'Acknowledges the broad coalition contributing to military support of the Government of Iraq including countries throughout the Middle East;

'Further acknowledges the request of the Government of Iraq for international support to defend itself against the threat ISIL poses to Iraq and its citizens and the clear legal basis that this provides for action in Iraq;

'Notes that this motion does not endorse UK air strikes in Syria as part of this campaign and any proposal to do so would be subject to a separate vote in Parliament;

'Accordingly supports Her Majesty's Government, working with allies, in supporting the Government of Iraq in protecting civilians and restoring its territorial integrity, including the use of UK air strikes to support Iraqi, including Kurdish, security forces' efforts against ISIL in Iraq;

'Notes that Her Majesty's Government will not deploy UK troops in ground combat operations;

'And offers its wholehearted support to the men and women of Her Majesty's armed forces.'
 
Kill all of them and 5000 more will appear. It is a battle that will never end. I agree it is something that needs actioning sooner rather than later.
 
This whole ISIS thing is starting to resemble a real life mmorpg . Why not just save the civilians and demarcate the area as a politics-free zone , for anyone to get in there to fight each other to rule the space. Could even commercialize and market it as a mad max arena, and I'm sure there's no shortage of sponsors.
 
I am all for it. The people who live there live in fear. The only way to be free is to be a terrorist so that just breeds more problems.

I'm afraid the damage has already been done in the UK. We have British born terrorists amongst us and it's getting serious. We need to prevent another 7/7 not react when something bad happens. Nip it in the bud before!

Let's just hope the British army throw leaflets into towns they want to bomb warning of air strikes like the Isralies do. Let's also hope that IS aren't going to force people to stay behind to protect themselves like what the terrorists in Gaza did.

Good luck to all the military involved. It will save lots of problems in the long term.
 
I have no problem if we are providing the logistic and tactical support at the request of the legitimate Iraqi government.

I do agree that it can't be an us vs them situation as before. This is a situation that needs to be resolved by the Iraqi government, not the western world. I feel a similar way to Islamic extremism in this country, the solutions can only come from within the Muslim community but the government needs to everything they can to support them.
 
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Bombing/Invading Iraq has worked a treat when it has been tried before. No repercussions, no casualties, no radicalisation. It's a brilliant plan. What could possibly go wrong?
 
No doubt ISIS need dealing with. I don't think there is any real plan here though. ISIS came in to existence because the world sat back while Assad of Syria butchered over 100000 Syrians and due to the current Iraqi governments awful abuse of Sunnis. The root cause is fairly simple but with regards to a solution I have no idea. Sad situation and very frightening. Especially for the likes of our Alan Henning.
 
Bombing/Invading Iraq has worked a treat when it has been tried before. No repercussions, no casualties, no radicalisation. It's a brilliant plan. What could possibly go wrong?

Ain't that the truth. The thing is if you drop bombs they ain't just going to hit Isis are they? And innocent people being bombed arnt going to think oh well they were aiming at Isis, what they are going to do, is think the west is attacking them AGAIN. and thus make them more likely to have ill feeling about the west... Thus breeding more terrorists.

Something needs to be done about Isis no doubt, but really not sure it should come from the west.

You have Saudi, Egypt Turkey with huge and advanced militaries all mostly sunni Muslim as well. These should be at the forefront of any action... But only with the will, assistance and permission of the local population, tribes etc, with a genuine plan for reconstruction that will be promised agreed upon and implemented as soon as possible, and if this means separation so be it, new nation states were formed through out history. The map of the middle east was drawn up post ww1 and not by the locals, we have to accept that maybe the map is wrong.

Iraq for example is made up mostly of Kurdish, Turkmen and sunni and shia Muslims all within there own (for the most part) geographical areas, so what if 4 new nations come out of it?
 
you'd think we'd be able to just special forces it by now, few teams go in and silently slit some throats before walking into the wind
 
The planes have been loaded ready for the past month. The politicians have been slowly drip feeding information to get the general public onside.
 
It seems clear to me that the real plan is to force Assad out of his throne in Syria (something that's been a wet-dream to the UK/US axis for years now).

This will turn into bombing of outright bombing in Syria "to stop ISIS dropping back into their bases across the border where they re-organise and re-emerge"

Cameron was defeated in the commons vote to strike Syria last year, but now he and Obama will get their true wish, via the backdoor...
 
Think we have won already seeing as the US strikes have disrupted IS's oil pumping clearing the way for the west to democratize their Oil reserves
 
I don't see the end game for this. I was against the previous interventions due to the potential knock on effects and our actions have left a vacuum for such groups as ISIS to develop. If we are to accept that this is a rag tag group of desert monsters from various parts of the world how is it possible to truly target and eliminate them. Its not possible. If its an ideology then even a complete wipeout of those in the middle east would not end anything, more would turn up and the cycle of death continues.

Complex situation which we have had a hand in creating. Sorry but its true.
 
I have no problem if we are providing the logistic and tactical support at the request of the legitimate Iraqi government.

I do agree that it can't be an us vs them situation as before. This is a situation that needs to be resolved by the Iraqi government, not the western world. I feel a similar way to Islamic extremism in this country, the solutions can only come from within the Muslim community but the government needs to everything they can to support them.

spot on. =D>
 
What exactly are/can the Muslim community do to stop them then? I've heard them condemn IS' actions but nothing more.
 
I think people don't realise that ISIS have spread their ideology primarily online. I would doubt there is a single mosque that alloows the preaching of such hate in the country. And then there is Anjem and his crew who are allowed to carry on spewing, not sure why either.
 
Surely the solution is staring us in the face; build a 500ft high robot Mohammed that flies into the desert at dawn, with a loudspeaker saying Allah says Relax
 
British fighter jets could begin airstrikes against Islamic State fighters in Iraq as early as today after MPs overwhelmingly backed action.

Parliament gave approval by 524 votes to 43 (a massive majority of 481) for Britain to join the US-led coalition in the Middle East.

The vote came after Prime Minister David Cameron said IS forces are "psychopathic terrorists trying to kill us".

Labour MP Rushanara Ali immediately resigned from the party's front bench after the result was announced.

Labour leader Ed Miliband told her afterwards: "I know that you have thought long and hard about this. I respect and accept your resignation."

Ian McKenzie, the Labour MP for Inverclyde, was sacked as a parliamentary aide to Shadow Defence Secretary Vernon Coaker for voting against military action.

Britain has six Tornado GR4 fighter bombers in Cyprus ready to strike northern Iraq, a figure which Cabinet minister Kenneth Clarke said would make the UK's military contribution "almost symbolic".

Mr Cameron, speaking on a visit in Oxfordshire ahead of the Conservative Party conference, said Britain was ready to play its part in dealing with Islamic State (IS).

He said: "We are one part of a large international coalition. But the crucial part of that coalition is that it is led by the Iraqi government, the legitimate government of Iraq, and its security forces.

"We are there to play our part and help deal with this appalling terrorist organisation."

The planes, which have been in RAF Akrotiri for the past six weeks carrying out surveillance missions in the Middle East, could begin airstrikes over the weekend.

Defence Minister Michael Fallon told Sky News: "You're not going to see immediate military action - a wave of shock and awe or anything like that ... not tonight no, absolutely not.

"We have to select our targets in accordance with the American and international effort that's going on in Iraq.

"There's fighting around these towns - we have to fit in to the day-to-day fighting and see where we can help best."

It came as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said US-led airstrikes had already worsened a dire humanitarian crisis in Iraq and Syria.

Mr Cameron told the Commons debate that Islamist militants "have already murdered one British hostage" and are "threatening the lives of two more".

He described IS, which has invaded large areas of Syria and Iraq, as "a terrorist organisation unlike those we have dealt with before".

He said: "The brutality is staggering - beheadings, crucifixions, the gouging out of eyes, the use of *struggle cuddle* as a weapon, the slaughter of children. All of these things belong to the dark ages."

During the six-and-a-half-hour debate, Mr Miliband said he understood the deep unease about taking military action, but said the UK could not stand by in the face of the threat from IS, also known as ISIL.

"ISIL is not simply a murderous organisation; it has ambitions for a state of its own - a caliphate across the Middle East, run according to their horrific norms and values," he said.

But in a typically firebrand intervention, outspoken Respect MP George Galloway said bombing would not work, and stressed the need to strengthen ground forces in the region.

He said: "ISIL is a death cult, it's a gang of terrorist murderers. It's not an army and it's certainly not an army that's going to be destroyed by aerial bombardment."

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, backed UK airstrikes, telling the House of Lords: "The action proposed today is right."

But he warned "we must not rely on a short-term solution" and a wider effort was needed to turn extremists away from the "evil of ISIL".

On Thursday, the Cabinet unanimously backed military action against IS, which could last up to three years.

The PM was desperate to avoid the embarrassment of the Commons defeat on Syria airstrikes last year, and tabled a cautiously-worded motion intended to win support from all parties for action in Iraq.

Overnight, the US continued to hit suspected IS positions in Syria for a fifth consecutive day of attacks.

The Pentagon said the raids had disrupted lucrative oil-pumping operations that have helped fund IS militants, but that a final victory would need an on-the-ground campaign.
 
So it looks like its going to be at least a 3 year war.... To fight 30,000 terrorists. Spread out over an area the size of the uk? It seriously needs three years?

Nah mate there is something else going on here.. Just the split of the country, let everyone of the ethnicities know that they will get their piece of land if they fight against Isis... That way the war will be won in three months not three years.

So Kurds have the north, Turkmens have north east sunni have the middle, shia have the south (including Baghdad). Job done.
 
The planes have been loaded ready for the past month. The politicians have been slowly drip feeding information to get the general public onside.

No they haven't. If you're going to make stuff up, at least make sure it can't be disproven.

Those planes have been flying reconnaissance missions for weeks. Politicians have been waiting for an official request of assistance so as to make the air strikes legal.
 
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