The decision to bomb IS in Syria was made in a packed Commons last night as MP’s voted on the Tory motion to extend air strikes in Syria in the war against the Islamic faction IS. After a ten hour debate the vote was carried decisively by 397 votes to 223.
The debate will continue about the morality of the decision, but four UK jets have already struck in eastern Syrian oilfields in IS hands.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34992032
[caption id="attachment_60434" align="alignright" width="390"]
A Tornado jet with its deadly weaponry, including the latest pin-point Brimstone missiles.[/caption]
Down News received the following letter below from a TUV activist in Saintfield, John Brennan, and although it is supporting David Cameron’s motion, it does highlight the fundamental dilemma of the ongoing atrocities by IS to people in the region in Syria. When weighing up the political, military, and moral justifications, we have to objectively assess the overall situation and indeed ask, how much are our perceptions shaped by what the media present in this complex unfolding problem?
The UK government may be damned if they do and damned of they don’t. Making martys of IS fighters by bombing will not help to solve this problem in the short-term, but is humanitarian aid and international diplomacy enough against a demonic cult such as IS where it slaughters many innocents on a daily basis? Ultimately, each nation has to decide at its highest level and they should arrive at the right decision. And decisions in government should always be subject to serious reconsideration.
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Dear Editor,
A decision was made on 2nd December 2015 in the House of Commons to participate in airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria and I would like to commend each and every one of our MP’s who supported this action. It would never have been an easy decision to make but I believe it was the correct decision to make.
Over the space of a year The Islamic State has spread its influence to Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Kuwait, Turkey, Libya, Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Killing many people, minority communities and religious groups as they go. The Islamic State has committed terrorist attacks in numerous countries including the most recent one in Paris. They have beheaded people for their religious beliefs, stoned innocent people to death, thrown people from buildings and much more.
I believe the airstrikes are necessary, but they will not be completely successful if the countries involved don’t manage to topple Syrian leader Bashar al Assad which has to be their joint primary objective.
The main objection to the airstrike campaign does not stack up in my opinion.
The arguments against airstrikes were that many civilians might be caught up in the bombing campaign and incidentally killed. I would like to ask these people against airstrikes; have you not been reading the papers lately? Have you not seen the news lately? The Islamic State is killing hundreds if not thousands of innocent men, women and children on a daily basis just because they can or because they are of a none Muslim religion or because they want to use another man’s wife and/or children as sex slaves. This list could go on and on each reason as terrible and each other.
Maybe people may not know these facts, maybe they have not seen the atrocities happening at the hands of Islamic State as it has not been covered in the detail. Â The media may not be covering the actions of Islamic State to the best of their abilities.
If Islamic State is left to go unchallenged, I do not believe the situation is ever going to get any better for the Syrian people especially those of a non-Muslim religion, or is this deemed ok in the eyes of the people against the airstrike campaign?
John Brennan, TUV activist, Saintfield.
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