MPs vote to begin air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq September 26, 2014 MPs have voted in favour of military intervention in Iraq against Islamic State (IS) militants. The precise wording of the motion does not mean "boots on the ground" – instead, it condemns "barbaric acts" by IS militants and acknowledges Iraq's request for assistance, meaning the UK will perform airstrikes on the IS in Iraq in [...]
Threat of Islamic State to the UK is enough to require ground troops, says think tank September 26, 2014 Today's parliamentary debate will determine whether or not the UK joins America and its Arab allies in carrying out airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq. It follows on from Prime Minister David Cameron's declaration earlier this week that the UK is “ready to play its part” in the campaign against the extremist [...]
David Cameron and Hassan Rouhani come face-to-face to discuss Islamic State September 23, 2014 Prime Minister David Cameron and Iranian president Hassan Rouhani are meeting in person for the first time ever to discuss Iran's role in fighting the Islamic State (IS). Meeting later in New York, it is thought Cameron will use the opportunity to persuade Rouhani Iran should join action against IS militants. No British prime [...]
Is Tony Blair right that we shouldn’t rule out deploying ground troops against Islamic State? September 22, 2014 Robin Simcox, a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, says Yes. Since the US and the UK have only recently withdrawn combat troops from Iraq, redeployment is politically challenging. However, Tony Blair is right to say that it may be necessary. US President Barack Obama says he intends to “destroy” IS. But his strategy [...]
Islamic State takes attack online with cyber weapons September 18, 2014 The Islamic State (IS) is infamous for the brutal methods it employs to gain control in Syria and Iraq, and now there are reports it is gathering cyber weaponry to take the conflict online. According to cyber security company FireEye, the militant group could pose the biggest threat to cyber security in the West. [...]
Defence secretary Michael Fallon announces plan to arm Iraqi government against Islamic State September 9, 2014 The UK will send weapons to the Iraqi government to help it fight the Islamic State (IS), Michael Fallon said today. The defence secretary said he is "committed" to assisting the Iraqi government and to helping Kurdish forces defend themselves against the militants. According to the BBC, he added he wanted to help [...]
Obama to outline strategy for targeting Islamic State September 7, 2014 On Wednesday, US President Barack Obama will outline his strategy for targeting Islamic State (IS) – the extremist group currently taking over large parts of Syria and northern Iraq. "I'm preparing the country to make sure that we deal with a threat from Isil,” he said on NBC's Meet the Press. "On Wednesday, I'll [...]
Coalition seeks supporters of military action in Iraq and Syria as strikes on Islamic State considered September 4, 2014 The Conservative party has begun canvassing its MPs to find out if they would support military action in Iraq and Syria, as leaders from all three main parties appeared to be warming towards possible air strikes yesterday. As the Nato summit got underway in Wales, Tory party whips were quizzing MPs to find out how [...]
If Islamic State can prove a “true caliphate”, Taliban fighters will join September 2, 2014 Fighters from a militant Islamic group in Afghanistan have said they would consider joining forces with the Islamic State (IS). The Hezb-e-Islami group is allied to the Taliban, and its commander Mirwais told the BBC that if IS can prove a true Islamic caliphate, they would link up with it. Referring to IS [...]
Islamic State in Syria: Obama authorises surveillance flights August 26, 2014 US President Barack Obama has authorised the use of surveillance flights to monitor the activities of Islamic State (IS) in Syria. The news came from a senior US administration official who spoke to the AP news agency on condition of anonymity. According to the Wall Street Journal, the US Central Command overseeing American [...]