Off the wire
• Nearly 21 mln people are enslaved in today's world, says UN chief  • European integrations to benefit Serbia's economy: Kerry  • Spanish cava to see rise in consumption this Christmas  • South Africa values relationship with China: government  • UN envoy expresses concern as Jewish terror attack remains unresolved  • Interview: China moving forward at great pace for low carbon economy: expert  • Spanish stock market falls 0.36 pct, closes at 10,342 points  • Urgent: No credible evident indicates Iran carries out atomic weapon program including delivery system research after 2011  • Spotlight: Alleged oil trade with IS isolating Turkey  • Iraqi PM sacks trade minister wanted for corruption charges  
You are here: 　 Home

British leaders clash over airstrikes in Syria

Xinhua, December 3, 2015 Adjust font size:

British political leaders clashed in a heated debate in the House of Commons Wednesday over whether to extend British airstrikes against the Islamic State (IS) targets in Syria.

British members of parliament (MPs) vehemently debated the government motion, backed by Prime Minister David Cameron, before voting to decide whether to bomb IS militants in Syria.

The motion supports British military action, specifically airstrikes, against IS in Syria, but ruled out deploying troops in ground combat operations.

Opening the debate, Cameron said Britain "should not wait any longer" to reduce the threat of IS.

"We should answer the call from our allies. The action we propose to take is legal. It is necessary, and it is the right thing to do to keep our country safe," he said in his opening speech.

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labour Party, opposed extending UK bombing into Syria, warning "the prime minister's proposal for military action simply doesn't stack up."

He also slammed the proposed military intervention as "yet another ill-fated twist in the never-ending war on terror."

After the 10-hour debate, MPs were expected to vote on the motion at around 10:00 p.m. (2200 GMT).

According to research conducted by the BBC, of the 640 MPs expected to vote, up to 362 MPs are in favor of supporting the motion while 175 are against, making it likely that Cameron will launch bombing missions in Syria within days if he wins the vote. Endit