LONDON: Britain, Belgium and Denmark lined up Friday behind the United States in its fight against the Islamic State group, agreeing to military operations in Iraq – but drawing a line for now against direct intervention in Syria.
Even the half-step of support, however, offered a boost to US President Barack Obama’s effort to cast the fight as a global campaign to beat back a jihadist force that has assembled thousands of radical fighters and seized territory straddling Iraq and Syria.
The entry of the British into the coalition – which now includes five Arab states, France, Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark – provides Washington a broader consensus for what is described as an extended campaign waged without a resolution authorizing the use of military force by the UN Security Council.
But Europe’s resolve stopped at the border with Syria, where the Islamic State has built the foundations of its self-declared caliphate.
Europeans have been reluctant to take military action inside Syria, in part out of concern about fueling a larger regional conflict, in part because of public opinion in their own nations and in part because of a desire to avoid helping the Syrian government, led by President Bashar Assad, to survive the rebellion against him by a wide array of opposition groups, including the Islamic State.
For now, the attacks within Syria have been carried out only by the United States and five Arab nations that consider the Islamic State to be a threat to them and to regional stability.
In Britain, Prime Minister David Cameron called Parliament back from recess to approve British participation.
The parliamentary motion specifically rules out the deployment of any British ground troops in Iraq, although the British are active in training and equipping the Iraqis, mostly Kurds, who are fighting the Islamic State.
Friday’s motion was approved by 524 to 43, and essentially means that six British Tornado fighter jets that have been flying reconnaissance missions over Iraq can now be ordered to drop bombs as well.
The other main European military power, France, is also remained wary of participating in air strikes in Syria.
President Francois Hollande on Tuesday said France joined the coalition in bombing Iraq because the government in Baghdad had asked. (Agencies)
Belgium’s Parliament on Friday approved the deployment of fighter jets, cargo planes and military support to help with the fight in Iraq. In Denmark, Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said her nation would contribute seven fighter jets to the coalition in Iraq.
Germany has not taken part in the conflict militarily but has agreed to supply aid and provide training to Kurdish forces and Iraqi security forces.