MPs: UK's role in fighting ISIS is 'strikingly modest' and should be ramped up

MPs have urged UK to step up the fight against jihadists.

15:39 05 February 2015

MPs have stated that the UK’s role in fighting Islamic extremists is “strikingly modest” and should be stepped up.

The Defence Select Committee has said that it is deeply concerned that the country isn’t doing more after it was found that it carried just 6per cent of the coalition air strikes against the jihadist group.

The MPs, who are not in favour of deploying combat forces to battle IS, suggested that UK should make a bigger contribution to the air campaign and perhaps use more special forces. They also wanted the UK to develop an independent analysis instead of just signing up to the US-led campaign.

The MPs said the UK "can and should be playing a greater role" in fighting it, adding that "officials, ministers, and officers have failed to set out a clear military strategy".

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg reacted to the report saying: there as "no way we in the UK… or in the rest of the world altogether will somehow be able to fix the bloodshed in Syria or fix the bloodshed in Iraq" by "charging in".