News Digest

UK confirms it won’t take part in U.S. airstrikes over Syria

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the UK will not be taking part in airstrikes in Syria after the U.S. revealed it would take action. U.S president Barack Obama has authorised military attacks on Islamic State fighters in Syria, as well as Iraq, for the first time, saying the terrorists had a free passage across the countries’ borders. Mr Obama said the move did not amount to support for the Assad regime in Syria, which has always claimed the terrorists were behind the uprising in the country, now in its third year.

We will conduct a systematic campaign of airstrikes against these terrorists. I will not hesitate to take action against Isil in Syria, as well as Iraq.

President Obama

Speaking at a press conference in Berlin, Mr Hammond said the UK would not take part in the military action in Syria and said the decision would not be “revisited”. His comments appeared to be at odds with earlier comments from the British government. A spokesman said Prime Minister David Cameron agreed with the President’s position on both Iraq and Syria. He added the UK was not at the stage of making a decision on military intervention. As part of U.S. strategy for tackling the jihadists, on Wednesday President Obama announced that 475 military personnel would be sent to Iraq in a non-combat role.