Obama drops hint to UK about launching airstrikes against IS
PRESIDENT Obama yesterday gave the strongest indication yet that he wants the UK to commit to air strikes against Islamic State (IS) in Syria, warning the responsibility for military action is not “America’s fight alone”.
It is the second time the US president has used the phrase, after both David Cameron and Ed Miliband backed American air strikes on IS targets in Syria but stopped short of committing to active British involvement.
In a speech at Labour party conference in Manchester yesterday Miliband said the UK will never turn its back on the world but warned: “What needs to happen now is that the United Nations (UN) needs to play its part. A UN Security Council resolution to win the international support to counter that threat of IS.”
In a similar message, the Prime Minister told American broadcaster NBC: “This is not a fight we can opt out of,” but parliament is yet to formally commit to taking military action in the region. MPs are said to have been put on standby to be recalled to Westminster this Friday to debate possible military intervention, CityAM has learned.
The bombing in Syria overnight on Tuesday was led by the US with the backing of five Arab states; Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Syrian president Assad was warned about the air strikes by US secretary of state John Kerry before they took place