Prime Minister David Cameron has given the UK’s premiere military special operations unit, the Special Air Service (SAS), the go-ahead to target leaders of the Islamic State in both Syria and Iraq.
As many as 100 troops from the SAS, which conducts counter terrorism missions for the British Army, will now operate ‘carte blanche’ in secret in both countries, The Daily Mail reports Monday. This means that SAS, like the U.S. Navy Seals, is headed deep into ISIS-controlled territory, in order to target leaders.
Last week, Cameron stated that sending aircraft to bomb ISIS would accomplish little in the way of bringing the group to its knees.
The Royal Air Force has conducted more than 300 raids since last September against ISIS positions in Iraq, but UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon argued that unless the RAF can target Syria as well, the utility of the strikes would be severely limited. But for now, opposition to extending the raids to Syria remains, as both Tory and Labor politicians have stated they would vote down expansion requests. While ISIS does have a strong presence in Iraq, its leadership resides in Syria.
That opposition, however, appears to have some flex, especially in light of the recent terrorist attack in Tunisia which left 30 British nationals dead.
Fallon confirmed that following the slaughter, the UK is strongly considering strikes over Syria. Cameron said that no strikes will occur without an authorization vote, which may take place after the summer recess.
“There is a practical consideration and I don’t know what the technical answer is,” Fallon stated on BBC Today. “We have been concerned about the Syrian air defence system for quite some time, but it would seem that the Americans and other members of the coalition have successfully been operating in the Syrian air space. If they can, then I believe that we can, too, and if that is not a major issue then we should.”
Cameron hopes not to repeat the August 2013 vote, in which members of his own party turned against him to vote down missile strikes against the Assad regime.
“Our position remains that we would return to this house for approval before air strikes in Syria,” Cameron recently said. “We will only bring a motion to this house on which there is some consensus.”
The gunman who opened fire is believed to have connections to ISIS.
The U.S., on the other hand, is continuing to launch airstrikes in Syria. On Sunday, U.S. forces hit Raqqa 16 times in an unusually fierce raid.
Follow Jonah Bennett on Twitter
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.