Air force could hit jihadists in Libya, says Cameron

DAVID CAMERON has opened the door to air strikes in Libya, saying it is his duty to act against Islamist terrorists wherever they may be, if they pose a specific threat to British people.

Speaking after delivering a speech in Birmingham on tackling extremism, the Prime Minister was asked if there was a case for strikes on Isil in Libya, where the gunman who massacred Britons in Tunisia was trained.

Mr Cameron responded: “On the issue of fighting terrorism, Islamist extremist terrorism wherever it is – whether it’s in Iraq or in Syria or in Libya or elsewhere – as Prime Minister, if I believe there is a specific threat to British people, if you’re asking the question, would I be prepared to authorise action to neutralise that threat? Yes, I would, of course.”

Mr Cameron said that defeating Isil in Syria and Iraq would be an “essential” part of overcoming terrorism, and doing so would require troops on the ground – but not British troops.

“Of course if we are going to succeed in defeating Isil either in Iraq or in Syria there will need to be boots on the ground, but they should be Iraqi boots, Syrian boots,” he said.

He was speaking after Lord Richards, the former chief of the Armed Forces, said Britain needed to get on a “war footing” to tackle Isil.

The Prime Minister said “getting rid of the so-called caliphate in Iraq and Syria” was “essential” adding: “Clearly that is an inspiration to terrorists, it is training terrorists, it is sucking people out of our country to become terrorists, so you have got to deal with it.”

He added that as well as dealing with the “nucleus” of Isil-held territory, efforts would have to be made to destroy the group’s ideology.

In the Commons, Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, said there was “no question of us supplying combat troops on the ground in Iraq”.

‘It is training terrorists, it is sucking people out of our country to become terrorists, so you have to deal with it’