David Cameron rules out troops on ground in Iraq
David Cameron has ruled out UK forces joining the American-led military offensive in Iraq, warning: “We’re not going to be putting boots on the ground, we’re not going to be sending in the British army”.
His promise comes amid continued fighting in the region, which saw Kurdish peshmerga fighters and Iraqi government forces retake the Mosul dam with help from US air strikes yesterday. President Obama also stepped up diplomatic sanctions on militant organisation Islamic State, banning two group leaders from financial dealings with America.
Both the British foreign secretary Philip Hammond and Prime Minister Cameron have reiterated the UK government’s focus on humanitarian relief as its main priority. “We will look at providing weapons to the Kurdish troops, they have not requested boots on the ground, they are capable of fighting this battle, what they need is equipment,” Hammond said.