Alex Thomson
A wing, a prayer and a US president spouting cliches
The simple and obvious question to ask today is this: would parliament be discussing bombing Iraq for a third war if the USA were not already doing so?
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Islamic State group and Iraqi army clash near Baghdad
Islamic State group militants are said to be just one mile away from Baghdad – despite Iraqi ground forces holding them back in a key town near the city.
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Can returning jihadis be reintegrated into society?
While the UK imposes stringent measures on returning jihadis, some countries are more liberal. Channel 4 News obtains rare footage of a Danish programme that seeks to bring them back into the fold.
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Airstrikes against IS continue – as new threat is issued
Allied airstrikes are hitting more Islamic State targets in Syria – striking three makeshift oil refineries near the Turkish border. Jonathan Rugman has been with Peshmerga fighters in northern Iraq.
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UK fighter jets fly into Iraq on combat mission
British Tornado fighter jets fly into Iraq ready to carry out air strikes against the Islamic State group, but the Ministry of Defence says no targets were hit in the first approved combat operation.
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Iraq mission ‘politicial’, says former SAS commander
Richard Williams, former SAS commander in Iraq and Afghanistan, says air force action alone cannot win the US-led fight against the Islamic State group.
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Will oil strikes hurt Syrian civilians?
An aid agency warns that the US-led bombing campaign against the Islamic State group could knock out the electricity supply to Syrian hospitals.
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Alex Thomson
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Gary Gibbon
MPs will back Iraq-only attacks
One minister said the truth is that the attacks that will be authorised with today’s vote are one step on a ladder of 20 rungs and no one really knows what the other steps will turn out to be.
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FactCheck: another illegal war in Iraq?
British pilots could be in action over Iraq again soon. Is the legal case for military action stronger than the last time around?
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Britain set to join third Gulf war
French fighter jets hit Islamic State targets in Iraq and the US strikes in Syria, as British MPs debate joining a military coalition against the jihadi group.
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MPs debate air strikes in Iraq
MPs meet to debate whether to accept the Iraqi government’s request for air strikes to support operations against the Islamic State group in Iraq.
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Does US need UK to intervene in Iraq?
George Galloway MP says that west should strengthen Kurdish forces in Iraq and Syria, but not take direct action. US Ambassador Matthew Barzun says it is a world fight.
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Do we want boots on the ground in Iraq?
Tom Blundell from the Royal British Legion, speaking from Wootton Bassett, says “boots on the ground” are needed. Latif al-Habib, from Swindons Islamic Centre, says should we stick to air strikes.
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MPs approve air strikes against IS in Iraq – is Syria next?
The Commons votes to join air strikes in Iraq against the Islamic State group. Is the UK now locked on course for conflict in Syria, too, and backlash on British streets?
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Where do foreign terrorist fighters come from?
As the UK debates joining a military campaign against the Islamic State, the latest data suggest more than 13,000 foreign fighters have swelled the ranks of the Islamic State.
