Britons wary as UK military begins Syria bombing
British Prime Minister David Cameron says the country’s military action in Syria is complex in nature and may take longer to accomplish its goal.
Cameron made the comments as his defense secretary reported the involvement of four Tornado fighter jets in the first day of the airstrikes in Syria.
Michael Fallon disclosed that the aircraft had “dealt a real blow” to the Daesh-controlled oilfields in eastern Syria that Prime Minister David Cameron said were being used to fund attacks on the West.
The UK military action came hours after parliament voted in favor of extending the aerial campaign from Iraq to Syria.
“This is going to take time. It is complex and it is difficult what we are asking our pilots to do, and our thoughts should be with them and their families as they commence this important work,” the prime minister said.
Cameron added that there would be strong support from Britain’s allies including several Muslim countries that have been asking London to take part in this action. “I’ve just been on the telephone to Chancellor Merkel of Germany, and the Germans are stepping up what they are doing in the region,” he said.
‘Divided opinion’
Following impassioned and heated debate on Wednesday; a total of 66 Labour MPs rejected the advice of their leader, Jeremy Corbyn, and voted with the government. Seven Tories ignored the party’s three-line whip and voted to oppose airstrikes.
Corbyn, a veteran anti-war campaigner, who argued the bombing would be ineffective and kill civilians, was forced to allow a free vote in order to quell a rebellion in his party on the issue.
The British public also remains divided over their country’s involvement in Syria. Many Britons are wary of wading into another war in the Middle East after Western intervention in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya failed to bring stability to the region.
"I think there is going to be a lot of innocent people that are actually over in Syria that aren't going to be at fault in this and they are going to die because of us," said civil servant, Lizelle Johnson.
As MPs debated the issue on Wednesday, hundreds of people staged a protest outside the parliament building carrying placards reading “don’t bomb Syria”.
In the run-up to the debate, a survey by an online organization, voteScotland-England showed 72 percent of Scots were against airstrikes in Syria. About 44 percent of voters in England said an escalation of the military action is unnecessary. A majority of those surveyed said such an action would only intensify the ISIL’s hatred towards the UK.
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