Britain will be 'at war' by weekend as RAF is set to blitz ISIS




As US launches attack on Syria, the British Parliament is set to be recalled on Friday to gain backing for RAF strikes


Strike: The US has already launched bombs on ISIS HQAmerica and its Arab allies launched a devastating blitz on Islamic State strongholds in Syria yesterday as Britain was poised to join in.

The deadly wave of bomb and cruise missile strikes came as the Prime Minister prepared to recall Parliament to discuss launching a military campaign. He said that Britain cannot “opt out of the fight”.

It is thought that MPs could be asked to back bombing raids on the brutal fanatics as early as Friday, meaning RAF Tornados already in the war-torn region could be in action by the weekend.

Iraqi leader Haider al-Abadi is expected to ask David Cameron for help smashing the Islamic State in a meeting at the United Nations today in New York. Mr Cameron will then travel back to Britain to consult his Cabinet and Labour before making a final decision on any military action.

When asked about air strikes, the PM insisted he had not ruled them out. He added: “This is a fight you cannot opt out of. These people have got us in their sights, they want to kill us. We have put together a coalition working to make sure we ultimately destroy this evil organisation.”

The Pentagon warned that the attacks in Syria were “just the beginning”.
And Barack Obama hailed the involvement of five Arab states – Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates – in the bombings against Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his Islamic State.

He said: “The strength of this coalition makes it clear that this is not America’s fight alone. We are going to do what is necessary for the security of the country, the region and for the entire world.”
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Threat: ISIS fighters in SyriaThe US led the air strikes without a mandate from the United Nations. Saudi Arabia’s official news agency confirmed that the country’s air force had taken part in the attacks.

It is unknown what military contributions were made by the four other Arab states.

It is believed that more than 100 Islamic State fighters were killed and many of the group’s headquarters, ammo dumps and living quarters obliterated in the onslaught. The initial pre-dawn bombing run led by American F22 Raptor stealth bombers hit the Syrian city of Raqqa, an Islamic State stronghold in the north.

F-22s launched deadly JDAM bombs on enemy positions, backed up by waves of F-18s from the carrier USS George HW Bush. Two hundred bombs hit militant positions, including 150 precision-guided weapons and 47 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the USS Arleigh Burke and USS Philippine Sea in the Arabian Gulf.

Unmanned Predator drones armed with Hellfire missiles were sent in to target vehicles and houses pre-marked with beacons planted by Syrian agents working for Western spy agencies.

American air force pilots hit terror network the Khorasan Group with eight bombs. Last night, a US intelligence source claimed the group was in the final stages of a plot to blow up an airliner with bombs hidden in toothpaste tubes.

Al-Qaeda loyalists were also targeted in the major offensive as 50 of their fighters were killed. A source said: “This was one of the most complex operations America has planned for some time. The Islamic State knew they were coming so they had to hit them hard. Having to co-ordinate so many aircraft was a problem but it means that other stakeholders in the Middle East are now irreversibly involved in this conflict.”
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Wrecked: Fighters from the Islamic State group gesture as they load a van with parts of what they said was a US drone that crashed in Raqqa

The Pentagon’s Rear Admiral John Kirby said: “I can tell you that these strikes are only the beginning.” He claimed they were “very successful”.

Teams of British special forces troops from the SAS, the Special Boat Service and the Special Reconnaissance Regiment are on standby to enter Iraq on combat missions.

MPs are currently in recess for the party conference season but backbencher Andrew Bridgen said: “We might be going back on Friday. We are here to run the country. If that ruins conferences so be it.”

Ed Miliband gave the clearest signal yet that Labour will back British air strikes in his conference speech. He said: “We supported a coalition based on humanitarian, political and diplomatic action to counter the threat of the Islamic State.”

However, Mr Miliband also called for a new UN Security Council resolution to authorise action but Labour sources suggested he could still back war if that does not happen.

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