The United Kingdom has reportedly carried out its first bombing of Daesh (ISIL) positions in Syria after the government won a parliamentary debate on an air campaign against the Takfiri militant group there.
British government sources said on Thursday that the UK conducted its first airstrikes in Syria, Reuters reported.
The government has not yet disclosed details of the attack but media reports have cited British Defense Minister Michael Fallon as saying that UK bombers attacked oilfields in eastern Syria.
The move followed a 10-hour debate held on Wednesday, with some 397 MPs voting in favor of the plan while 223 voted against the UK extending its airstrikes on Daesh targets from Iraq into Syria.
Following the vote, British Prime Minister David Cameron hailed the “right decision,” saying, “I believe the house has taken the right decision to keep the UK safe — military action in Syria as one part of a broader strategy.”
Cameron was one of the adamant supporters of the move to extend the current air campaign as part of a US-led coalition against purported Takfiri positions in Iraq.
British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond also welcomed the report saying the UK is “safer because of the actions taken by MPs today”. Military strikes alone won’t help Syria, won’t keep us safe from Daesh. But this multi-strand approach will.”
Hammond said British planes are now poised to join the airstrikes within hours, adding that the first…