Brits slam plans to join Iraq airstrikes

Hundreds of anti-war activists have staged a rally in London to protest potential British airstrikes against ISIL terrorists in Iraq.

Around 300 demonstrators gathered outside Downing Street, the home of British Prime Minister David Cameron, on Thursday to protest against government’s plans to join US-led airstrikes in the war-torn country.

Chanting anti-war slogans and carrying banners reading, “Don’t bomb Iraq” and “Don’t bomb Syria,” the protesters called on Cameron not to drag their country into another military campaign in Iraq and to stop fueling tensions in the Middle East.

The rally came ahead of a parliamentary debate on Friday, when British MPs will vote on a motion supporting air raids on the ISIL positions in Iraq. The motion, however, does not support airstrikes against the ISIL strongholds in Syria.

“The vote will have a global impact…On Friday, MPs have a chance to make a real difference on matters of peace and war,” Chris Nineham, a Stop the War national officer said.

Meanwhile, three Labour MPs, Diane Abbott, Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell, in a joint letter urged the British government to rule out any further military action in Iraq, saying airstrikes in the country would “only exacerbate the situation.”

The ISIL terrorists control large areas of Syria’s east and north. The ISIL sent its Takfiri militants into Iraq in June, seizing large parts of land straddling the border between Syria and Iraq.

According to a CIA source, more than 15,000 foreign fighters from more than 80 countries have gone to Syria to join militant groups. Two thousand of the fighters are believed to be Westerners, including at least 500 British nationals.

Observers have said the rise of the ISIL cult can be directly attributed to the policies of Western countries, including the UK, in the Middle East region as they have been supporting militant groups in their fight against the Syrian government.

MOS/AB/KA