Cameron promises to tackle Islamic State after David Haines murder

The UK will take whatever steps are necessary to combat the Islamic militants responsible for the murder of British aid worker David Haines, the Prime Minister David Cameron says.

Speaking after chairing a meeting of the government’s Cobra emergency committee, he vowed to “hunt down those responsible and bring them to justice no matter how long it takes”. But he said Britain’s strategy did not include the deployment of combat troops.

His comments came after Islamic State militants released a video late on Saturday night showing Haines’ murder.

His family paid tribute to him on Sunday, saying he was a humanitarian who was killed in cold blood. He was taken hostage while working for ACTED in Syria in March last year.

In a statement issued by the Foreign Office, his brother Mike Haines said: “David was most alive and enthusiastic in his humanitarian roles”.

‘Front line’

The prime minister said Britain would pursue a counter-terrorism strategy to defeat Islamic State. He said that would include offering logistical support to US forces involved in air strikes and Kurdish forces “who are holding the front line”. And he said that the UK would work at the UN to “mobilise the broadest possible support to bear down” on the militants.

He also promised to tackle extremism at home to “prevent attacks and to hunt down those who are planning any”.

And he added that Britain would work with the Iraqi government and “continue to support the enormous humanitarian efforts, including using the RAF to do so, to help the literally millions of people who have fled ISIL and are now living in appalling conditions”.

US President Barack Obama said he would work with Britain and other nations to “bring the perpetrators of this outrageous act to justice”.

‘Good brother’

Mike Haines said his brother was “just another bloke” who would be “missed terribly”. He said: “His joy and anticipation for the work he went to do in Syria is for myself and family the most important element of this whole sad affair.

“David was a good brother. He was, in the right mood, the life and soul of the party and on other times the most stubborn irritating pain in the ass.”

David Haines had a teenage daughter in Scotland from a previous marriage and a four-year-old daughter, Athea, in Croatia with his present wife.

His brother said: “After leaving school he worked with the Royal Mail before joining the RAF as an aircraft engineer. He married his childhood sweetheart Louise and in the due process of time had a wee lass Bethany. He was – and no doubt wherever he is – exceptionally proud of Bethany.

“David served with the UN in the Balkans, helping people in real need. There are many accolades from people in that region that David helped. He helped whoever needed help, regardless of race, creed or religion.

“David left the RAF and was employed by Scotrail. As with every job, David entered into it with enthusiasm. David met and married his second wife Dragana and they have a four year old daughter Athea.”

“He was and is loved by all his family and will be missed terribly.”

‘British hero’

David Cameron said: “David Haines was an aid worker. He went into harm’s way, not to harm people but to help his fellow human beings in the hour of their direst need, from the Balkans to the Middle East.

“David Haines was a British hero. The fact that an aid worker was taken, held and brutally murdered at the hands of [Islamic State] sums up what this organisation stands for.

“They are killing and slaughtering thousands of people – Christians, Muslims, minorities across Iraq and Syria. They boast of their brutality. They claim to do this in the name of Islam. That is nonsense. Islam is a religion of peace. They are not Muslims, they are monsters.”

Cameron said: “We are a peaceful people, we do not seek out confrontation. But we need to understand – we cannot ignore this threat to our security and that of our allies. There is no option of keeping our heads down that would make us safe. The problem would merely get worse, as it has done over recent months. Not just for us, but for Europe and for the world.

“We cannot just walk on by if we are to keep this country safe. We have to confront this menace. Step by step, we must drive back, dismantle and ultimately destroy [Islamic State] and what it stands for.

“We will do so in a calm, deliberate way, but with an iron determination. We will not do so on our own, but with working with our allies, not just in the United States and in Europe, but also in the region. Because this organisation poses a massive threat to the entire Middle East. So we will defeat [Islamic State] through a comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy.”

‘Sickened’

Obama, who recently announced moves to target IS in Syria, said: “We will work with the United Kingdom and a broad coalition of nations from the region and around the world to bring the perpetrators of this outrageous act to justice, and to degrade and destroy this threat to the people of our countries, the region and the world.”

The news of the murder came hours after the family of David Haines issued a plea to his captors to contact them. In the video, the aid worker is murdered by a knife-wielding militant, who appears to speak with a British accent. The clip also includes a threat to kill a second British hostage.

Cameron said: “People across this country will have been sickened by the fact it could have been a British citizen, a British citizen who carried out this unspeakable act. It is the very opposite of everything our country stands for.”

Islamic State extremists previously murdered two American journalists, posting the evidence online in videos featuring a masked militant who appeared to have a similar accent.