United Kingdom and the Islamic State

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the United Kingdom. British citizens have fought as members of the group, and there has been political debate on how to punish them. On 26 September 2014, Parliament voted to begin Royal Air Force airstrikes against ISIL in northern Iraq at the request of the Iraqi government,[1] which began four days later, using Tornado GR4 jets.[2] On 2 December 2015, the UK Parliament authorised an extension to the Royal Air Force airstrike campaign, joining the US-led international coalition against ISIL in Syria.[3] Hours after the vote, Royal Air Force Tornado jets began bombing ISIL-controlled oilfields.[4]

  1. ^ Sparrow, Andrew; Phipps, Claire (26 September 2014). "UK parliament approves air strikes against Isis in Iraq – as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  2. ^ Sengupta, Kim (30 September 2014). "Iraq crisis: British jets drop bombs on Isis, helping Kurdish fighters battling the militants". The Independent. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  3. ^ Wintour, Patrick (3 December 2015). "Britain carries out first Syria airstrikes after MPs approve action against Isis". the Guardian. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  4. ^ "RAF starts bombing Isis oil fields in Syria - as it happened". The Independent. 3 December 2015. Retrieved 2015-12-03.