British fighter jets could begin airstrikes against Islamic State fighters in Iraq as early as today after MPs overwhelmingly backed action.
Parliament gave approval by 524 votes to 43 (a massive majority of 481) for Britain to join the US-led coalition in the Middle East. The vote came after Prime Minister David Cameron said IS forces are "psychopathic terrorists trying to kill us".
David Cameron was desperate to avoid the embarrassment of the Commons defeat on Syria airstrikes last year, and tabled a cautiously-worded motion intended to win support from all parties for action in Iraq
Britain's Ministry of Defense says warplanes have taken off for their first combat mission over Iraq since Parliament approved airstrikes targeting the Islamic state group.
The Tornado GR4 aircraft took off from RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus on Saturday, hours after Britain joined the U.S.-led coalition of nations that are launching airstrikes against the extremists.
The Ministry of Defense says that the Tornados "are now ready to be used in an attack role as and when appropriate targets are identified."
Prime Minister David Cameron has described U.K. involvement as critical to security on home soil, arguing that facing down terrorists has become a matter of urgency. He says the hallmarks of the campaign would be "patience and persistence, not shock and awe."
Overnight, the US continued to hit suspected IS positions in Syria for a fifth consecutive day of attacks. The Pentagon said the raids had disrupted lucrative oil-pumping operations that have helped fund IS militants, but that a final victory would need an on-the-ground campaign.
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