British parliament OKs airstrikes against IS in Syria

Britain's House of Commons on Wednesday voted to support a government motion on extending UK airstrikes against the Islamic State (IS) to Syria after 10 hours of intense debate. The motion, requesting British "military action, specifically airstrikes, exclusively against ISIL (IS) in Syria," was approved by 397 votes to 223. The approval will pave the way for British warplanes to extend their bombing missions from Iraq to Syria. Britain has been bombing IS, also known as ISIL, ISIS or Daesh, in Iraq since the House of Commons voted to authorize airstrikes in the Middle East country in September 2014. Speaking after the vote, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said: "Britain is safer because of the actions taken by MPs today." He added that he was "very pleased that a significant number of Labour MPs voted with us to degrade this terrorist organization" British members of the Parliament (MPs) clashed bitterly in a whole day of heated debate in the House of Commons over whether to extend British airstrikes against the Islamic State (IS) targets to Syria. Opening the debate on Wedneday, British Prime Minister David Cameron said Britain "should not wait any longer" before reducing the treat from IS to its security. "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. Describing IS militants as "women-raping, Muslim-murdering, mediaeval monsters," Cameron said he wants to "pursue a comprehensive strategy that also includes political, diplomatic and humanitarian action." Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labour Party, opposed extending UK bombing into Syria, warning that "the prime minister's proposal for military action simply doesn't stack up." "For all members, taking a decision that will put British service men and women in harm's way and almost inevitably lead to the deaths of innocents is a heavy responsibility," he said. "The Prime Minister has offered no serious assessment of the impact of an intensified air campaign on civilian casualties in ISIL-held Syrian territory or the wider Syrian refugee crisis," he noted. The Labour leader argued that the government's bombing proposal "clearly does not subordinate military action to international diplomatic efforts." "Finally, and perhaps most important of all, the Prime Minister is still entirely unable to explain how UK bombing in Syria would contribute to a comprehensive negotiated political settlement of the Syrian war," he said. The debate and vote came amid continued protests against British military intervention in Syria. More than 1,000 protesters, led by the Stop the War coalition, demonstrated outside the Parliament Wednesday, chanting and holding placards reading: "Hands off Syria", "Don't bomb Syria" and "Say no to more imperialist war", among others.