The BBC Today Programme and 5Live bulletins lead with the Defence Secretary’s announcement that the UK is to extend air strikes against ISIL by a year, to March 2017.
During his visit to Baghdad, Michael Fallon told the BBC that RAF Tornados will continue their missions as part of the campaign which has already helped Iraqi forces to push back the militants. He went on to say that coalition partners particularly valued the RAF surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The story also features on Sky News and BBC Breakfast bulletins.
ISIL
Page leads in the Daily Telegraph and The Independent report that the MOD has given a reprieve to the RAF Tornado jets which are flying bombing missions against Islamic State in Iraq. The decision comes ahead of an expected parliamentary vote on Britain extending its air strikes to Syria. Number 12 (Bomber) Squadron had been due to disband early in 2016 but will be kept flying for another 12 months due to current operational demands. Further ‘news in briefs’ appear in the The Times and Daily Mail.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:
ISIL terrorists pose a threat the security of Iraq, Syria, the wider region and to the streets of Britain. It is, therefore, our duty to ensure that the UK continues to play its part to defeat this barbaric regime. Our aircraft have flown thousands of missions and RAF Tornados have carried out hundreds of strikes, helping Iraqi forces push back ISIL from the Kurdish region and out of key towns such as Tikrit and Bayji. We want to ensure we maintain this crucial operational tempo and so we will extend the lifetime of Number 12 Squadron for a further year to March 2017. This will allow us to sustain our effort, helping the Iraqis lead the fight on the ground.
The full story can be found here.
![Tornado[1] copy](https://modmedia.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/142/2015/08/Tornado1-copy.jpg)
Calais Migrants
All the newspapers report that the Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond last night revealed that Britain is to fund an extra 100 border guards at the Channel Tunnel terminal in Coquelles. He said the Government has “got a grip” on the Calais migrant crisis. A leader column in the The Guardian argues the measures to tackle the crisis announced by the Government this week show ‘something close to official panic’. According to the The Express, the UK must stand firm amid attempts from other EU member states to turn an international problem into a British one.
Civilian Casualties
The Guardian examines a report by Airwars which suggests that the US-led coalition air campaign against ISIL in Iraq and Syria has killed more than 450 civilians despite the US only acknowledging two non-combatant deaths.
A Ministry of Defence Spokesperson said:
We are not aware of any incidents of civilian casualties as a result of UK strike activity over Iraq. Our over-riding concern in conducting such strikes is to protect innocent people from the terrorists we are targeting and we take every possible measure to avoid any civilian casualties.
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