David Cameron says airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria will not see "quick gains" but will make the UK safer "over time".
16:28, UK,
Thursday 26
November 2015
The Prime Minister has warned the battle
against Islamic State in Syria will be a long one but said Britain will
not make the mistakes it has in Iraq.
Making his case for airstrikes in Syria, the Prime Minister said that military action in the country would not see "quick gains""We should not expect this to happen quickly. It will require patience and persistence. But it is achievable," he said.
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But he added that the lessons of Iraq had been learned and he urged MPs not to let decisions taken in 2003 colour their view this time.
However, Mr Cameron insisted there would be no British boots on the ground and claimed there were around 70,000 Syrian opposition fighters in the country not linked to extremist groups.
The claim has attracted some scepticism given the complex situation of the nature on the ground and the make up of the rebel fighters.
Chairman of the Defence Committee Dr Julian Lewis is to table a questions asking the Prime Minister to list the groups comprising the 70,000.
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Mr Cameron said Britain was in the "top tier" of countries IS terrorists were targeting and military action must be taken to protect the country.
He warned MPs that Britain should "act now" because "every day we don't take action is a day ISIL grows stronger".
Mr Cameron said IS terrorists - who have carried out 40 successful attacks around the world in 12 months - had "repeatedly tried to attack us right here in Britain".
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Unlike with Iraq and Libya, he said this time there was firm commitment to make sure there would be a functioning government in Syria to replace the Assad regime.
Mr Cameron said there would be no vote on airstrikes in Syria in the House of Commons unless he was assured there was a clear majority in favour.
He said that if the matter went to the vote and the case for airstrikes was defeated it would be a "publicity coup" for IS.
The Prime Minister suffered embarrassment in 2013 when he was defeated in a vote on airstrikes against the Bashar al Assad regime.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who was briefed on the threat from Syria ahead of Mr Cameron's Commons statement, responded with seven questions listing concerns about mission creep and asking for guarantees there would be not troops on the ground.
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The SNP's Angus Robertson said the Prime Minister had failed to answer the key questions on ground troops and reconstruction costs and told him his party would not back airstrikes.
He also asked for assurances that the UN resolution calling for united action was unambiguous in support for military action, which Mr Cameron gave him.
Mr Cameron has set out his case for extending military action from Iraq into Syria in a 33-page document to the Foreign Affairs Committee, which, in a report last month, warned against airstrikes.
Crispin Blunt, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, responded to Mr Cameron in the House of Commons saying that having considered the Prime Minister's response he was in favour of taking action.
He said he had been convinced that the political solution for Syria was a priority.
