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Cameron warns of long Syrian bombing campaign
 The mission to target so-called Islamic State militants in Syria could take some time and will require persistence, PM David Cameron has said.RAF Tornados conducted air strikes on six targets in Syria, "successfully" attacking an IS-controlled oilfield, the Ministry of Defence confirmed. There will be "strong support from our allies" for the action, the PM added. Two more Tornados and six Typhoons have arrived at RAF Akrotiri, in Cyprus, from where they will join the attacks. Speaking after the strikes, Mr Cameron said the operation in Syria would require "patience". "It is complex and it is difficult what we are asking our pilots to do, and our thoughts should be with them and their families as they commence this important work," he said. The decision to approve the mission was "good for the country", the prime minister said, adding: "There was a compelling case for extending our air strikes from Iraq to Syria, and I was glad to see such strong support right across parliament." Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has welcomed the result of the vote, saying European forces had to lead the response to the threat. Delivering the Kissinger Lecture at the Library of Congress in Washington, Mr Blair said: "We should learn the lessons of the whole period from 9/11 to today and try to forge a new synthesis of foreign policy which recognises the need for an active policy of engagement, but in a way sophisticated by our experience, not incapacitated by it. "For Europe, there is a huge calculation to be made. This security threat is at our door. It is actually within our home." He added that there was "no doubt" in his mind that "this is a battle we will win". Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the MoD would be assessing the damage done by the first strikes, saying he had personally approved the targets ahead of the Commons vote. He said the aim was to strike "a very real blow on the oil and revenue on which Daesh depends". Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the UK was obliged under the terms of the UN Security Council resolution on dealing with IS to coordinate with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on air strikes in the country. BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said the IS-controlled Omar oilfield in eastern Syria - hit by UK air strikes - was one of eight oilfields targeted by coalition forces. He said the decision to target oilfields may have been a political one - to avoid civilian casualties. But our correspondent said there was now "an urgency" among US-led forces to "close down" IS sources of revenue. The oilfield at Omar potentially represents more than 10% of its income, the MoD said. This morning's newspapers in Damascus reiterate criticism Syrian officials have made for years about the West's engagement here. "Britain didn't ask permission from Syria's government," declares the state news agency SANA. "Cameron told lies," it says. Syrian officials insist Britain and its allies must follow Russia's example and co-ordinate their campaign with Syrian government forces. If they don't, they warn, they simply won't succeed.
Asked how long the UK might be involved in the coalition campaign against IS in Syria, he said it would "not be quick", but argued it had not been right to leave bombing to other air forces. On the issue of ground forces, he said the prime minister of Iraq had made it very clear he did not want Western troops on the ground to fight IS. In a statement, the MoD said the British jets - supported by a Voyager air refuelling tanker, an unmanned Reaper drone and other coalition aircraft - had attacked six targets. "Carefully selected elements of the oilfield infrastructure were targeted, ensuring the strikes will have a significant impact on Daesh's ability to extract the oil to fund their terrorism," it said. Before the attacks, pilots used the aircrafts' sensors to confirm "no civilians were in the proximity of the targets", it stated. Posted by: Steve White 2015-12-04 |
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