Cameron backing as US launches first air strikes on IS

Downing Street said the PM will use talks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York over the next two days - including with the President of Iran - to discuss what contribution the UK and other members of the international community can make to the fight against the terror group.

The Pentagon said fighter jets, bombers and ship-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles were used in the onslaught against the jihadists.

The news of the attack came as Mr Cameron prepared to hold talks with Iranian president Hassan Rouhani in an attempt to enlist Tehran’s support for the growing international coalition against IS - also known as Isil.

Downing Street said: “The PM supports the latest air strikes against Isil terrorists which have been carried out by the US and five other countries from the Gulf and Middle East.

“The PM will be holding talks at the United Nations in New York over the next two days on what more the UK and others can do to contribute to international efforts to tackle the threat we all face from Isil.

“The UK is already offering significant military support, including supplying arms to the Kurds as well as surveillance operations by a squadron of Tornadoes and other RAF aircraft.”

Tomorrow’s meeting with Mr Rouhani will be the first time a British prime minister has held face-to-face bilateral talks with an Iranian president since the country’s Islamic revolution in 1979.

The Prime Minister, who is in New York for the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, is expected to use a speech tomorrow to set out further details of Britain’s contribution.

There is growing speculation that he will announce that UK forces will join the air strikes - although they are thought likely to be restricted to Iraq - where they would be operating at the invitation of the government in Baghdad.

The Ministry of Defence said no decisions had yet been taken on any UK military involvement against the militants who have seized large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, carrying out a series of atrocities, including the beheading of British aid worker David Haines and two American journalists.

While the US - like Britain - has ruled out any co-operation with the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Damascus said that Washington informed its UN envoy before the attacks began.

Forces from Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates were said to have taken part in today’s attacks on targets in Syria - underlining the importance that the US has attached to building support for its action in the region.

Among the areas reportedly hit was the IS stronghold of Raqqa where it is thought a second British aid worker, Alan Henning, is being held.

Since August, the US has carried out around 190 air strikes against IS in Iraq as part of President Barack Obama’s campaign to “degrade and destroy” the militants.

Britain has so far been helping supply arms to the Kurdish peshmergas fighting IS in northern Iraq, as well as offering support to the new Iraqi government led by Haider Abadi.

It was also a driving force behind a UN Security Council presidential statement on Friday calling on the international community to help Iraq defeat the extremists.

Mr Cameron made clear that he would want to consult the House of Commons, if possible, before engaging British forces, raising the prospect of a possible recall of Parliament after his return from the US on Thursday.

The Prime Minister will be anxious to avoid a repeat of last year’s Commons defeat when he lost a vote on air strikes against Syrian government forces over the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons against the rebels.

For Labour - which voted against military action last year - shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander backed the US action against IS and called for the issue to be referred to the UN Security Council.

“Isil represent a threat not just to regional security in the Middle East but to international security so we understand and support the action taken by the United States and Arab allies in recent hours,” he said.

“Both the Prime Minister and the President are due in the United Nations this week so we are now urging a resolution should now be brought to the Security Council of the United Nations.”

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has previously said Britain will play a “leading role “ in the coalition against IS - although the signs are that it more likely to join air strikes against the militants in Iraq rather than in Syria.

While Downing Street has said nothing has been ruled out, Mr Hammond has said there would be significant military, legal and technical differences in mounting strikes on Syrian territory.

France, which has already joined the US in carrying out attacks on IS forces in northern Iraq, has ruled out extending its action into Syria.

Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the Kurdistan regional government high representative to the UK, said Britain should be involved in military action against IS.

Questioned if Britain should intervene in Iraq and Syria if asked, she told BBC Radio 4’s World At One: “Yes. Britain is a leading player in the world, whether the British people appreciate that or not, that’s the case.

“It’s a member of the UN security council, a permanent member, a leading member of Nato, the EU.

“Britain is looked to internationally to play a leading role and that’s what we need to see now.”