British commanders urge Cameron to strike ISIS: 'We have a moral obligation to help Iraq'

A growing numbers of MPs are urging the prime minister to join US airstrikes in Iraq to stop the advance of Islamic State fighters.

16:48 13 August 2014

Amid growing pressure from MPs for the UK to join US airstrikes in Iraq to stop the advance of Islamic State fighters, David Cameron is back home (cutting short his holiday in Portugal) to chair a Cobra meeting to discuss the situation in Iraq. 

 

Despite saying that his priority is to help those people who were affected by the attacks in Iraq by sending them food and medicine, the UK has already sent small number of RAF Chinook helicopters into northern Iraq. It also sent RAF Tornado jets equipped with sophisticated surveillance equipment to gather intelligence. 

 

However, it seems that for 15 MPs, this is not enough. They said that they would support military intervention and urged Mr Cameron to recall the Parliament. 

 

Conservative MP Nick de Bois said: "Whether you support air strikes or not, and they should be on the table for urgent consideration, Parliament has both the moral obligation and a duty to our constituents to examine and advise the Government on whether we should take that step.

 

"Every day in this humanitarian crisis matters and that's why we should be recalled."

 

Another unnamed MP said: "It's very different from Syria, where the Government had no plan or conception of what might work. Here we have the Kurds on the ground. Also, recall of Parliament seems essential given world events."