|
 Britain announced the deployment after Turkey said on Monday it
would allow Iraqi Kurdish fighters to reinforce fellow Kurds in the
Syrian town of Kobani on Turkey's border.
Michael Fallon, Britain's defense minister, said both Reaper drones
and Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft would fly over Syria as part
of "efforts to protect our national security from the terrorist
threat emanating from there."
But in a written statement to parliament he stressed that Reapers
would not be allowed to use their weapons in Syria, something he
said would require "further permission", meaning a vote in
parliament.
Fallon announced last week that Britain was deploying armed Reaper
drones to the Middle East to conduct air strikes against Islamic
State in Iraq. So far, the Royal Air Force has conducted around 38
combat missions against IS in Iraq.
[to top of second column] |
Parliament voted to approve air strikes against IS in Iraq last
month, after a request from the Iraqi government. But Britain isn't
conducting air strikes in Syria. It has previously said such strikes
would require fresh parliamentary approval.
(Reporting by William James; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
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