Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Updates of Air Strikes in Syria by Alliance

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US launches air strikes against Isil in Syria - live


Tuesday 23 September 2014

US launches air strikes against Isil in Syria - live

Follow live updates: President Obama says Arab coalition shows tackling Isil is 'not America's fight alone'



By , and Joel Gunter
4:50PM BST 23 Sep 2014
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Latest

22.00 Obama is meeting with representatives of the five Arab nations - UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, and Bahrain - who joined in last night's strikes in Syria. The meeting athe Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York also includes the new prime minister of Iraq.
Because of the almost unprecedented effort of this coalition, I think we now have an opportunity to now send a very clear message that the world is united.
21.42 Reuters is now reporting that the US told Iran of its plan to attack Isil inside before last night's strikes. It appears to have been along similar lines to its notification to Syria: a general warning that strikes were coming but no specific detail of timings or targets.
Tony Blinken, one of Obama's senior aides, didn't deny that the US had informed Iran, saying: "We wanted to make sure that no one got in our way."
21.35 Footage of the US refuelling one of its F-16s in middair during last night's strikes in Syria.
These aircraft were flying as part of the second wave of aircraft, joining with F-22s to strike targets in northern Syria.
21.00 Barbara Henning, the wife of the British hostage Alan Henning, has released a statement after receiving an audio tape of her husband "pleading for his life".
QuoteI am Barbara Henning the wife of Alan Henning. I have a further message for Islamic State. An audio file of Alan pleading for his life has just been received by me. I and people representing me continue to reach out to those holding Alan. Islamic State continue to ignore our pleas to open dialogue.
I have seen Muslims across the globe question Islamic State over Alan’s fate. The voices of the people have spoken out loud and clear. He was working with Muslims to help the most vulnerable within Syria. Nothing has changed. He went to Syria to help his Muslim friends deliver much needed aid.
We are at a loss why those leading Islamic State cannot open their hearts and minds to the facts surrounding Alan’s imprisonment and why they continue to threaten his life.
I have been told that he has been to a Sharia Court and found innocent of being a spy and declared to be no threat. I implore Islamic State to abide by the decisions of their own justice system.
Please release Alan.
-
20.50 Interesting footage of a English-speaking jihadist guiding the camera through some of the rubble left by last night's attacks.
"As you can see these Americans are relentless and harsh in their fight against the Muslims," he says. "They came and attacked us in the night, many brothers died and many brothers were wounded."
20.35 Reports are starting to emerge of a small pro-Isil rally taking place in Istanbul. Several Turkish twitter users have begun to post photographs to the social-media site showing several-dozen men outside Galatasaray Lycee on Istiklal street. Although the general populous view them as on the fringe and fanatical, many in Turkey share a deep mistrust of America.
The Turkish government has maintained an ambivalent posture on anti-Isil campaign, initially refusing to officially join the coalition but now suggesting it would provide logistical support to the allies.
20.22 It's still not clear how many (if any) civilians were killed by the US-led strikes last night. A pro-Isil Facebook page is claiming at least eight dead and video shows the rubble of bombed-out areas.
The Pentagon has said it's unaware of any civilian casualties so far but will investigate any reports of innocents being killed.
20.00 Fox News has a little more detail about contributions of the five Arab nations involved in last night's strikes. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Jordan and Bahrain all sent US fighter-bombers into action and struck ground targets. Qatar sent French-made Mirage jets but didn't actually drop bombs. The Pentagon has acknowledged that the overwhelming majority of the firepower was provided by the US.
19.40 Channel 4 is reporting that a British jihadist, fighting with a group other than Isil, was killed by the airstrikes in Syria last night.
19.35 The Telegraph has obtained a copy of the letter sent from Samantha Power, US ambassador to the UN, to Secretary General Ban Ki Moon explaining American legal rationale for for the Syria strikes.
The letter, photographed below, offers a rare insight into the process by which Security Council members justify military action.
19.25 The US struck in three waves with cruise missiles, bomber aircraft and unmanned drones. Here's the breakdown, according to the Pentagon.
First Wave 
More than 40 Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from two US ships in the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf and was focused on buildings belonging to the Khorasan Group, an al-Qaeda offshoot apparently plotting an "imminent" attack on the US or Europe.
Second Wave
F-22 Raptors, America's stealth fighter, in their first combat mission against Isil targets in northern Syria. They were joined by F-15 F-16 strike aircraft, B-1 bombers and drones.
Third Wave
F-18s launched off USS George HW Bush aircraft carrier joining with other US aircraft flying from bases in the region. They struck Isil training camps and vehicles in eastern Syria, near the Iraqi border.
19.05 President Obama has hailed the historic contribution of America’s Arab allies in the battle to destroy the Islamic State (Isil), hours after the US launched a major new air offensive against the militant group’s strongholds in Syria.
Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar were all named as taking part in the strikes, the first time that Arab allies have joined a US military action since the First Gulf War in 1991.
“America is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with these nations on behalf of our common security,” Mr Obama said, announcing that the military campaign to “degrade and destroy” Isil had entered a new phase.
More soon.
18.05 President Obama has arrived in New York ahead of the UN General Assembly opening tomorrow. Phillip Sherwell is there.
Barack Obama arrived at the United Nations for the most crucial visit to the world body by a US president since George W Bush appeared there in 2002 to make the case for war in Iraq.
His administration has been working feverishly to put together an international coalition for military strikes since the president declared that the US would pursue Isil beyond Iraq’s border in his speech to the nation on Sept 10.
Mr Obama will build on the work of his diplomats in his conversations with world leaders, including his first meeting with Abdel Fattah al Sisi of Egypt, the new Egyptian president
The timing of the US strikes in Syria, launched on the eve of Mr Obama’s departure for New York with the backing of planes from of five Arab nations, was a clear indication the success of that coalition-building operation.
“We have a good picture of where we are and it’s a good position,” a senior US diplomat said just hours before the attacks.
More to follow.
17.55 While the eyes of the world have been on Isil, the White House has been monitoring a different terror group in Syria. Khorosan, an al-Qaeda offshoot based around Aleppo, was hit with a cruise missile barrage overnight. US officials said the group was planning an "imminent attack". Here's more from Peter Foster and Tom Whitehead:
The unilateral US strikes against the Khorasan Group, an al Qaeda affiliate led by a former top lieutenant of Osama bin Laden, came after several weeks of warnings that the group was planning a spectacular attack using improvised explosive devices, possibly concealed in mobile phones.
White House officials confirmed yesterday that the threat from Khorasan lay behind the decision in July to ramp up airline security and impose checks on electronic items.
The new rules were implemented amid fears that Ibrahim Hassan al–Asiri, the master bombmaker from Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula had developed a new explosive that could evade airport security, possibly concealed in a hand-held electronics or toiletries.
A senior administration official added that The US had been monitoring the Khorasan Group in Syria for years but struck when intelligence indicated they were “nearing the execution phase of an attack in either Europe or the homeland”.
Full story to follow.
17.41 David Cameron has appeared on NBC Nightly News, saying that Isil poses a real threat to people in Europe.
QuoteThese people want to kill us. They've got us in their sights and we have to put together this coalition working right across the board with all those countries I mentiond ... to make sure that we ultimately destroy this evil organization.
He also said the group's assets and control of national infrastructure presented a different threat than al-Qaeda, which he said "leached" off another nation state.
QuoteIt has oil, it has money, it has territory, it has weapons. And there's no doubt in my mind it has already undertaken and is planning further plots in Europe and elsewhere, specifically in Belgium, in Brussels it was an [Isil] plot that went into a Jewish museum and killed entirely innocent people.
There are other plots they have been attempting including in my own country in order to kill and maim innocent people. And the same applies to the United States of America.
Cameron is in New York for the UN General Assembly.
17.30 The US Department of Defence has release several videos of airstrikes to accompany the images it has been tweeting this afternoon. Less post-production than Isil's slick propaganda videos but decidedly more firepower.
17.28 UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has issued a statement on the strikes. Phillip Sherwell has this:
Ban Ki-Moon appears to have just indicated that he will not be kicking up a fuss about the legal technicalities of the US-led bombing raids in Syria.
In comments at the UN climate summit in New York, he first noted that that all measures taken to combat the terrorist groups should be in accordance with the charter of the UN and international law.
But he also observed that while the strikes were not conducted at the request of the Damascus, the US informed the Syrians of their intention in advance.
And then the kicker. “I also note that strikes took place in areas no longer under effective control of that government,” he said, in his first comments on the bombings. “I think it’s undeniable that these extremist groups pose an immediate threat to international peace and security.”
He also said that "immediate actions" was needed to protect civilians from the "barbarity" of the groups operating in Syria, though "regretting" the loss of any innocent lives.
17.14 Moscow correspondent Tom Parfitt has this on Russia's nuanced response to the air strikes:
Russia’s foreign ministry criticised the air strikes saying they should not have been launched without the approval of Damascus or the UN Security Council.
But Fyodor Lukyanov, an analyst who heads an advisory panel to the Kremlin on foreign and defence policy, said Moscow would limit itself to rhetoric over the bombing campaign.
“Russia will naturally not take any kind of active measures (against the strikes) because Islamic State cannot be seen in any way as some sort of partner organisation and objectively the attempt to destroy its positions is to the advantage of Bashar Assad too because they are also his enemies,” he said. Moscow has consistently supported Mr Assad throughout the conflict in Syria.
Mr Lukyanov said Moscow would likewise not actively support the strikes, even though Islamic State has promised to “liberate” the Caucasus, where Islamist militants are fighting Russian security forces.
“Illogical” US policies on sometime supporting and sometimes bombing forces opposed to Mr Assad meant it made no sense for Moscow to back Washington over the strikes, he said. For the US the government of Iraq is good, so supporting it is good, but the government of Syria is bad, even though it is fighting the same enemies," he said. "That is a problem for America, whose policy has become completely inconsistent."
Russia’s message to Washington, he said, was, “You think Islamic State is a threat? So do we, so let’s support the legal government [of Syria] and help it defeat this evil.”
Mr Lukyanov said Russia’s desire to cooperate with the US after the Ukraine crisis was “close to zero” but he doubted Moscow’s position would have been different without the war.
The Kremlin’s line was consistent with a widely held Russian belief that “everything that is happening in the Middle East is the fruit of the absolutely insane and pointless policies of the US which began with Iraq”, he said.
16:50 US Department of Defence is tweeting before and after pictures from the air strikes:
16:39 Speaking at the Pentagon, General William Mayville said it was too early to tell whether the strikes had disrupted the "imminent" terror threat from the Khorasan Group against the US or Europe, reports Raf Sanchez.
"Give us some time to assess the targets and the effects we thought we had last night before we can answer that, he said.
Gen Mayville said he was "unaware" of any civilian casualties caused during the bombing but that the US would investigate reports of innocents being killed.
He added that Syrian government's air defence radars were "passive" during the allied attack, suggesting that Damascus was heeding Washington's warnings not to interfere with the anti-Isil campaign.
Gen Mayville also said that no Isil leaders were directly targeted in the wave of bombings last night and there was evidence the jihadists were already beginning to change their tactics in response.
16:35 The Telegraph's David Blair has written a Q&A on the air strikes against Isil in Syria. Here is a short extract:
What is the legal basis for the strikes?
America will argue that UN Resolution 2170, passed on Aug 15, provides a legal basis for attacking Isil. This measure was approved under Chapter VII of the UN Charter which mandates the use of force. The resolution “demands” the disarmament of Isil, so the US could argue that by destroying stockpile's weapons, its offensive was enforcing the will of the UN. In addition, the tacit support given by Syria’s regime could serve as a legal basis for strikes on the country’s territory.
What is the goal of the campaign?
President Barack Obama has defined the objective as being to “degrade and ultimately destroy” Isil. However, air raids on their own are unlikely to achieve this. America has ruled out deploying combat troops in Syria. Instead, the US will seek to arm and train local forces to fight Isil.
16:23 The United States launched strikes in Syria to disrupt plans by the Khorasan group, an al-Qaeda affiliate, to launch imminent attacks against US or European targets, a senior White House official told reporters on Tuesday.
"For some time now, we've been tracking plots to conduct attacks in the United States or Europe," said Ben Rhodes, President Obama's deputy national security adviser.
"We believe that attack plotting was imminent and that they had plans to conduct attacks external to Syria," Mr Rhodes told reporters traveling with Obama to the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York.
16:20 President Barack Obama will meet representatives of the five Middle Eastern nations that supported the first US strikes in Syria later on Tuesday, his spokesman said.
16:17 US-led strikes on extremist groups in Syria were "very successful," according to initial assessments Tuesday by the Pentagon.
"Our initial indication is that these strikes were very successful," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters. "Last night's strikes were only the beginning."
16:02 Full quote from President Assad of Syria on the air strikes: "Syria will continue to resolutely fight the war it has been prosecuting for years against... terrorism," state news agency SANA quoted him as saying. "It supports any international effort to fight against terrorism."
15:59 The United Arab Emirates has confirmed it participated in the US-led coalition targeting jihadists in Iraq and Syria and bombed extremist positions.
"UAE Armed Forces carried out their first strikes against the Islamic State yesterday (Monday) evening," said a foreign ministry statement quoted on the official WAM news agency.
"The operation was carried out in coordination with forces participating in international efforts against IS," it added.
15:40 Here is a full transcript of President Obama's speech on Isil air strikes in Syria:
QuoteLast night, on my orders, America's armed forces began strikes against Isil targets in Syria. Today, the American people give thanks for the extraordinary service of our men and women in uniform, including the pilots who flew these missions with the courage and professionalism that we have come to expect from the finest military the world has ever known.
Earlier this month I outlined for the American people our strategy to confront the threat from the terrorist group known as Isil. I made clear that as part of this campaign the United States would take action against targets in both Iraq and Syria so that these terrorists cannot find safe haven anywhere. I also made clear that America would act as part of a broad coalition, and that's exactly what we've done.
We were joined in this action by our friends and partners: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain and Qatar. America is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with these nations on behalf of our common security. The strength of this coalition makes it clear to the world that this is not America's fight alone.
Above all the people and governments of the Middle East are rejecting Isil and standing up for the peace and security that the people of the region and the world deserve. Meanwhile we will move forward with our plans supported by bipartisan majorities in Congress, to ramp up our effort to train and equip the Syrian opposition who are the best counterweight to Isil and the Assad regime. More broadly, over 40 nations have offered to help in this comprehensive effort to confront this terrorist threat. To take out terrorist targets, to train and equip Iraqi and Syrian opposition fighters who are going up against Isil on the ground, to cut off Isil's financing, to counter its hateful ideology, and stop the flow of its fighters into and out of the region.
Last night we also took strikes to disrupt plotting against the United States and our allies by seasoned al Qaeda operatives in Syria who are known as the Khorasan group. Once again, it must be clear to anyone who would plot against America and try to do Americans harm that we will not tolerate safe havens for terrorists who threaten our people.
I've spoken to leaders in congress and I’m pleased that there is bipartisan support for the action we’ve taken. America is always stronger when we stand united. That unity sends a powerful message to the world that we will do what's necessary to defend our country.
The overall effort will take time. There will be challenges ahead but we’ll do what's necessary to take the fight to this terrorist group. For the security of the country, and the region and for the entire world.
15.33 Some 138,000 Syrian Kurdish refugees have entered southern Turkey, and two border crossing points remain open, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said.
Syrian refugees wait at the Syrian-Turkish border near Sanliurfa, Turkey. Ulas Yunus Tosun/EPA
15.26 There are three main takeaways from Barack Obama's short statement on last night's strikes against Isil targets in Syria, writes US Editor Peter Foster:
He took ownership for the strikes which happened "on my orders" even as he emphasised the role of the coalition, actually naming the Arab allies involved, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Jordan, Bahrain and Qatar.
He conceded, after weeks of downplaying the threat to the homeland from Isil, that the Al Qaeda off-shoot, the Khorasan group did pose a threat and were struck accordingly.
And he warned the US public that these strikes were were only beginning, that there were challenges ahead and that the long term strategy - which includes training up a moderate Syrian rebel force in camps in Saudi Arabia - would "take time" to implement.
15.20 A full transcript of Mr Obama's (short) speech will follow. He began:
QuoteLast night on my orders America's armed forces began strikes against Isil targets in Syria. Today, the American people gives thanks for the extraordinary service of our men and women in uniform.
He also discussed the coalition partners which took part in the strikes:
QuoteWe were joined in this action by our friends and partners: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain and Qatar. America is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with these nations on behalf of our common security. The strength of this coalition makes it clear to the world that this is not America's fight alone.
15.13 President Obama has begun his speech on the air strikes against Isil.
15:06 Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent, writes:
QuoteA Gulf Arab official has told me that four of the five Arab countries mentioned took an active part in the air strikes on IS positions in Syria.
• Saudi Arabia flew Tornadoes, and possibly Typhoons, from bases in northern Saudi Arabia and Jordan
• The United Arab Emirates flew fighters
• Bahrain flew three fighters
• Qatar did not launch fighters but hosts a US CentCom forward base in the Gulf
• Jordan flew fighters
14.48 Secretary John Kerry did not send a letter to the Syrian regime, as previously reported (see 10:30am post) but the US did give advance notification that it was preparing to launch strikes in Syrian territory, according to the US State Department. The notification was given by Samantha Power, the US ambassador to the UN, to her Syrian counterpart.
The statement reads:
QuoteThe President made clear in his speech to the nation on September 10 that the United States would not hesitate to take direct action against Isil and terrorists inside Syria who were threatening the United States. Since that speech, we informed the Syrian regime directly of our intent to take action through our Ambassador to the United Nations (Ambassador Power) to the Syrian Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
We warned Syria not to engage US aircraft. We did not request the regime's permission. We did not coordinate our actions with the Syrian government. We did not provide advance notification to the Syrians at a military level, or give any indication of our timing on specific targets. Secretary Kerry did not send a letter to the Syrian regime.
14:34 A coalition of 40 international human rights and humanitarian organisations, including the Save the Children, the Church of England, Amnesty International, and Islamic Relief, have urged world leaders to prioritise the protection of Syrian civilians as part of any further intervention in the Middle East.
David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, a member of the WithSyria coalition, said:
QuoteWe need world leaders this week to set out how they will fulfil their promise of February, and work together to end attacks on civilians and ensure people get the aid they need. The world must not turn its back on the people of Syria who have been attacked both indiscriminately and directly for more than three years
UN Resolution 2139, passed in February, called for an end to indiscriminate attacks by all sides on civilians in Syria.
14.11 Bahrain has confirmed its warplanes joined those of other Gulf monarchies in bombing jihadist positions as part of a US-led coalition against extremists in Syria and Iraq, reports AFP.
"A formation of Bahrain Royal Air Force aircraft, joining brotherly air forces from the Gulf Cooperation Council and other friendly and allied forces... bombed and destroyed" jihadist positions, a defence official said.
The move comes as "part of international efforts to protect regional security and peace", said the official, quoted by the state news agency BNA.
14:04 Jon Williams, ABC foreign editor, reports Iran President Rouhani says US-led airstrikes have "no legal standing" without UN Security Council approval or consent of Syria:
14:00 Syrian citizens check a damaged house they say was targeted by the coalition airstrikes in the village of Kfar Derian, a base for the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, a rival of the Islamic State group, between the northern province of Aleppo and Idlib, Syria. Source: AP
13:56 US-led air strikes killed at least 120 jihadists in Syria on Tuesday, a monitoring group said.
The dead included more than 70 members of the Islamic State (IS) group in the north and east of Syria, as well as 50 Al-Qaeda militants, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
13:46 Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, said Britain backed the bombing campaign, writes Ben Farmer. Speaking after talks with Gulf states including Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Mr Fallon said:
QuoteAt the Jeddah and Paris conferences there was strong agreement on the need for a coordinated response to the ISIL threat. In taking action to degrade and destroy ISIL terrorists it is important that key regional partners continue to play a leading role.
The UK supports the airstrikes launched by the US and regional allies last night which runs alongside the action the UK has already taken in the form of of reconnaissance flights, military equipment and humanitarian aid.
The UK Government continues to discuss what further contribution the UK may make to international efforts to tackle the threat we all face from ISIL.
13:20 We are expecting Mr Obama to speak on the Syria air strikes at 10:20am EDT (3:20pm in the UK).
Mr Obama will speak before departing the White House for New York City to attend the UN climate meeting, according to the official, who spoke toReuters on background ahead of the official announcement.
The US Department of Defense's joint staff director of operations also will hold a press briefing on the operations in Syria at 11am EDT (4pm in UK), the Pentagon said in a statement.
13:14 US President Barack Obama has used his "reluctant warrior" reputation to his advantage, writes US Editor Peter Foster in Washington:
Barack Obama has justifiably been tagged the reluctant warrior during his six years in office, but last night he used that fact to catch the world - and one suspects the Isil high command - by surprise.
For the last few weeks, all the signals in Washington appeared to point to Mr Obama playing the long game when it came to tackling Isil in Syria.
Officials talked about building up the capabilities of moderate Syria fighters to hold ground taken by air strikes, while the generals warned there was to be no "shock and awe".
And then without warning and on the eve of the United Nations General Assembly, Mr Obama pulled the trigger, apparently after seeking the quiet assent of both Syria and Russia so long as the strikes were confined to Isil targets.
It was an unexpectedly audacious move from a president who has done everything possible to stay out of the Syrian conflict.
And while it steals a tactical march over the jihadists, it also makes this - for all the efforts to draw in Arab allies - unequivocally "Obama's war"
13:09 David Blair says shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander's position on the US-led airstrikes is confusing:
Douglas Alexander, the shadow foreign secretary, says that Labour "understands and supports" America's air strikes in Syria - but he also wants the Security Council to consider a UN Resolution. This is a confusing position. If Labour backs the air campaign anyway, then why is a new Resolution needed? If Mr Alexander has any legal qualms about the present action in Syria, then why does he "understand and support" it? And if he does have legal doubts, has he noticed that Syria's own regime has declined to condemn the strikes on its territory? Does he also know of UN Resolution 2170, passed under Chapter VII of the Charter, which "demands" the disarmament of Isil?
12:52 A Downing Street spokesperson has said David Cameron supports the air strikes against Isil. The spokesman said:
QuoteThe 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.
12:31 Douglas Alexander, the shadow foreign secretary, says Labour wants a resolution on air strikes "brought to the Security Council of the United Nations". He is not clear, however, whether Labour will make it a requirement of supporting air strikes, writes Steven Swinford.
Mr Alexander said: “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.
“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."
12:25 Matthew Henman, head of IHS Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Centre, has the following detail on the Khorasan group, which the US said it targeted in separate air strikes overnight "to disrupt the imminent attack plotting against the United States and Western interests" (see 08:33 post). Mr Henman writes:
QuoteThere are reports this morning that US/allied air strikes in Syria’s Aleppo governorate targeted Jabhat al-Nusra, and more specifically “Khorasan” militants fighting therein. The name refers to Al-Qaeda fighters previously based in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran who have travelled to Syria to fight with Jabhat al-Nusra. They have been doing so for several years now, so should not be considered a new or distinct group as such.
12:13 President Obama will address the nation from the White House this afternoon about the Syria air strikes, it has been announced, before flying to New York to join other world leaders including David Cameron at the UN Climate Change Summit.
12:09 British Conservative MP John Baron has warned against air strikes in Syria. He said:
QuoteIS has to be driven out of Iraq, given our responsibility to the Iraqi people following our misguided intervention in 2003. But air strikes into Syria are a higher risk strategy, with no certain outcome. The UK should be advising caution, particularly against mission creep.
11:58 Britain is "falling behind the curve" on Iraq and Syria because Labour is refusing to "get off the fence" on air strikes, Tory MPs have warned, writes Steven Swinford.
Parliament is likely to be recalled this week for a vote on military intervention after the US conducted air strikes for the first time in Syria.
Ed Miliband, the labour leader, has refused to say whether his party will support military action in Iraq despite pressure from the Conservatives.
Sir Gerald Howarth, a Tory back-bencher, said that Britain has a "moral duty" to intervene.
"I think they are betraying the national interest by refusing to say what they think about air strikes," he said. "We are falling behind the curve on this, there is a clear moral case for intervention."
11:51 Ruth Sherlock has received reports of a 'high death count' among Isil troops:
There are reports of a high death count among Isil troops. One Syrian from Raqqa told the Telegraph that the US airstrikes hit a building that was formerly the Syrian regime's "political security branch", which was now being used as an Isil base, killing everyone inside. "We think about 15 Isil fighters were killed in there," the resident said, who asked for his name not to be revealed.
11:49 The US navy has released footage showing Tomahawk Land Missiles being fired from the USS Philippine Sea at Isil targets in Syria:
11:32 Russia has condemned the US-led air strikes against Isil. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement:
QuoteAny such action can be carried out only in accordance with international law. That implies not a formal, one-sided 'notification' of airstrikes but the presence of explicit consent from the government of Syria or the approval of a corresponding UN Security Council decision."
11:29 The death toll from US strikes on al Qaeda-linked militants in northern Syria has risen to 50, a monitoring group said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said most of those killed in the strikes, which targeted fighters from the Nusra Front in the northern Idlib area, had been non-Syrians, according to Reuters.
11:26 The UN refugee agency has said it is making plans to expect all 400,000 inhabitants of the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani to flee into Turkey to escape advancing Islamic State militants.
Some 138,000 Syrian Kurdish refugees have entered Turkey in an exodus that began last week, and two border crossing points remain open, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said.
"We are preparing for the whole population fleeing into Turkey. The population of Kobani is 400,000," UNHCR chief spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told a news briefing in Geneva.
"We don't know, but we are preparing for that contingency."
11:13 David Blair outlines the Arab coalition supporting US air strikes against Isil:
Five Arab countries are supporting the US air campaign against Isil targets in Syria, according to the Pentagon. But only Jordan has confirmed that its aircraft have actually carried out air strikes. All of the others have kept silent, raising doubts over whether they are flying bombing missions, or confining their role to offering bases and opening their airspace.
The very fact that Arab countries are part of the coalition at all, however, allows America to demonstrate that the anti-Isil offensive is not simply a Western campaign in the Middle East.
The states named by the Pentagon are as follows:
Saudi Arabia
With 305 combat aircraft, Saudi Arabia possesses the most powerful air force in the Arab world. The backbone of the kingdom’s striking power is provided by two squadrons of US-supplied F-15 Eagles and three of British-supplied Tornados. This makes Saudi Arabia ideally placed to operate alongside a Western coalition.
Whether the Royal Saudi Air Force has actually struck targets inside Syria is unclear. So far, the kingdom’s rulers have kept silent. They have traditionally been deeply reluctant to deploy their own forces in Western-led military ventures. The last time this happened was in 1991 when Saudi Arabia joined the coalition that expelled Iraq’s army from Kuwait. But this decision was relatively uncontroversial because the kingdom’s own security was directly threatened by Iraqi forces.
King Abdullah has repeatedly urged America to intervene in Syria, but he may not feel able to deploy his own strike aircraft in this cause. If the kingdom has not flown bombing missions against Isil, its part in the offensive may be limited to opening its airspace for US aircraft.
United Arab Emirates
The UAE has 201 combat aircraft organised into three squadrons of US-supplied F-16s and three of French Mirages. Last month, the country showed its ability to carry out air strikes when the UAE bombed Islamist militias in Libya’s capital, Tripoli. In 2011, the UAE also joined Britain and France in the campaign that toppled Col Gaddafi’s regime.
But the UAE shares the traditional Arab reluctance to join Western-led military offensives. Whether its air force is carrying out combat sorties in Syria is unclear. If not, the UAE’s role may be confined to opening its air space and allowing the US to use al-Minhad military air base near Dubai.
Jordan
With only 85 combat aircraft, the Royal Jordanian Air Force ranks among the smallest in the region. Yet it remains highly capable – and King Abdullah leads the only Arab government which has publicly confirmed that its aircraft are striking Isil targets in Syria alongside the US.
But this comes as little surprise. Of the five Arab states named by the Pentagon as supporting the offensive, only Jordan is directly threatened by Isil fighters. The terrorist movement has captured the area of Iraq along Jordan’s eastern frontier. Hence King Abdullah can argue that Jordan’s participation is essential for national security.
Qatar
Made rich by the revenues of gas and oil, Qatar has laid ambitious plans to re-equip its air force. At present, however, the country possesses only 18 combat aircraft – 12 French Mirages and six antiquated training jets. This makes it highly unlikely that Qatar is flying bombing missions in Syria.
But Qatar also hosts the regional headquarters of US Central Command and al-Udeid air base, which serves as the hub for all American air operations in the Middle East. So the campaign against Isil is almost certainly being coordinated and controlled by US commanders based in Qatar. Yet that is probably the limit of the country’s participation.
Bahrain
With only 39 combat aircraft, Bahrain’s air force is one of the weakest in the region. The fact that the Pentagon named Bahrain as part of the anti-Isil coalition is a surprise. The country possesses only one ground attack squadron consisting of 12 antiquated F-5 aircraft, a model designed in the 1950s. This means that Bahrain’s air force is almost certainly incapable of striking targets in Syria. Instead, Bahrain’s participation is probably limited to opening its air space and allowing the US to use military facilities on the island, notably the headquarters of the Fifth Fleet.
11:07 A map showing the locations of US airstrikes in Syria. Click to view a larger version.
10:40 An update on Israel shooting down a Syrian jet (see 08:35 post) from the Telegraph's Inna Lazareva:
QuoteIsrael shot down a Syrian Sukhoi 24 fighter jet with a Patriot missile as the plane infiltrated into Israeli airspace this morning at around 9am local time. Jerusalem and Damascus consider each other enemy states and the incident marks the first time in almost 30 years that Israel has shot down a Syrian jet.
Two pilots ejected from the plane and landed on the Syrian side of the border.
According to the former head of Israeli air force intelligence Brig Gen (res.) Ram Shmueli, the plane was “fully loaded with ammunition”, and had penetrated approximately half a mile inside Israeli air space.
The IDF has not yet confirmed whether the infiltration was erroneous or on purpose, but some security officials have voiced scepticism that crossing into the Israeli airspace had happened by mere accident.
According to Mr Shmueli, Israel is on high alert for incidents of this kind, including incoming “drones, airplanes and even civilian airplanes” participating in a “9/11 type scenario”.
Local residents living nearby told The Telegraph they have been hearing heavy bombardments and explosions for several days, including this morning.
10:30 The Syrian government said on Tuesday it had received a letter from US Secretary of State John Kerry delivered by the Iraqi foreign minister telling it the United States and its allies planned to attack Islamic State in Syria.
"The foreign minister received a letter from his American counterpart via the Iraqi foreign minister, in which he informed him that the United States and some of its allies would target (Islamic State) in Syria," the Syrian foreign ministry said. "That was hours before the raids started."
10:20 YouGov has been tracking public opinion on how to respond to the Isil threat. Some 52pc would now approve RAF air strikes on Isil in Syria, with 27pc opposing. Last month support and opposition were level at 37pc.
10:07 Former foreign secretary Jack Straw has said he is not against the principle of "proportionate and sensible" British involvement in military action against Isil although operations in Syria required "some kind of consent" from the Syrian government.
The Labour MP told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "We're part of the Western alliance, we have key interests - direct and indirect - in the region, so in principle we should be involved provided the circumstances are right."
Pushed on whether Britain should be involved in Iraq and Syria, Mr Straw said:
QuoteIt depends on the circumstances. Syria only if there is consent of some kind by the Syrian government. There are quite big legal problems if there isn't consent and I know there are discussions taking place in New York at the moment, or will be when they're up, about a proper legal base for military action.
What I think is encouraging about what's been announced overnight is there's an alliance of Arab countries involved in this because it should not just be as the satans of the West coming in to defend their interests.
The biggest threat Isil poses is to the Arab world and to ordinary Arab people."
09:58 More from the Telegraph's Ruth Sherlock:
In Syria, it is more about politics than bombing raids. Whilst in Iraq Isil's biggest asset is the sheer quantity of terrain it now controls, its biggest prize in Syria is its control of the country's oil fields - through which the group reportedly makes several million dollars every day.
The key, say Syrians in the area where the US strikes took place, is for airpower to accompany adept political manoeuvring, where the US works to win the support of local Syrians.
One such group that the US and its allies should be working with is the Sheitaat tribe. Numbering up to 70,000, for decades this Bedouin tribe has controlled the transport routes to and from the lucrative oil fields.
In August this year Isil showed the Bedouins no mercy, reportedly killing up to 700 people as they slashed their way through the terrain and seized two major oil fields in northeastern Deir al-Zour province.
If the US can win the support of the Sheitaat tribe, they potentially have a useful ally in shutting down Isil's biggest source of funding.
Airstrikes alone, however, could backfire, actually increasing local support for the jihadist group, residents of Raqqa have warned.
Abu Ibrahim al-Raqqawi said the rise of Isil in Syria was a direct result of US inaction against the Syrian regime, arguing that an opportunity for the extremists to take power was presented in the vacuum of law and order created by the Syrian civil war. He warned that US airstrikes on Raqqa might only make the situation worse:
"If the US strikes Raqqa it will increase the popularity of Isil. I think when Isil slaughtered the American journalists, they intended to provoke the West to start airstrikes as they know this would only increase their popularity."
"Isil knows that because the civilian casualties would be high, they will become more popular."
09:49 Air strikes by US-led coalition forces in Syria killed 30 fighters from al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front and eight civilians including children, a group monitoring the war said on Tuesday.
The strikes targeted a residential building in Aleppo province used by Nusra Front, said Rami Abdulrahman, who runs the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The United States said earlier on Tuesday its forces had carried out eight strikes against al Qaeda-affilated militants west of Aleppo.
09:34 A threat to kill a French hostage in Algeria will not deter France from continuing air strikes on Isil fighters in Iraq, the French prime minister, Manuel Valls, said on Tuesday, writes David Chazan in Paris.
“These strikes, this commitment will obviously continue,” Mr Valls told Europe 1 radio in Berlin, where he has been meeting the German chancellor, Angela Merkel.
However, he said France was working with the Algerian government “to do everything to allow our compatriot to recover his freedom”.
An Algerian group linked to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil)threatened to kill the hostage, Hervé Gourdel, 55, by the end of Tuesdayunless France halts its bombing raids. Jund al-Khilifa (Soldiers of the Caliphate) said it was responding to a call from Isil to kill nationals of countries in the US-led coalition against the terrorist group.
France became the first western US ally to launch air strikes on Friday. Mr Gourdel, who was on a trekking holiday in a mountainous region of Algeria, was abducted on Sunday.
09:10 Syria's Western-backed National Coalition opposition group welcomed air strikes by the United States and Gulf Arab allies on Islamic State strongholds in Syria on Tuesday, saying they would strengthen its struggle against President Bashar al-Assad.
"This will make us stronger in the fight against Assad... The campaign should continue until the Islamic State is completely eradicated from Syrian lands," Monzer Akbik, special envoy to the president of the coalition, told Reuters.
09:02 The Telegraph's Ruth Sherlock writes:
The military strikes on Syria by the United States and its allies will give President Barack Obama at least temporary respite from attacks by his critics that he is not doing enough to fight the jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).
But while it may alleviate some domestic pressures, the attacks have opened a new and potentially dangerous chapter, both in the fight against Isil and in the Syrian civil war.
Local reports and YouTube footage suggest the airstrikes took place against targets in Isil's capital Raqqa, as well as in the neighbouring northern provinces of Deir al-Zour and Aleppo.
The announcement that the United States would strike in Syria had temporarily cowed the jihadists, who were reported to have melted away from many of their positions to seek out hiding places where they could protect themselves from the strikes.
However, in the longer term bombing Isil from the air, especially in Syria, is a strategy potentially laden with pitfalls.
In Iraq, the air attacks have assisted the advance of a ground force on Isil positions; either the Kurdish peshmerga forces in the north of the country, or the Iraqi government and Shia allied militias further south.
The same would need to happen in Syria if the air attacks are to have effect. But it is less clear there who that ground force would be.
The so called "moderate opposition" groups - rebels who have not joined Isil or Al-Qaeda's Jabhat al-Nusra - who formed themselves initially to fight the Syrian regime have dwindled in strength and become fractured after three years of war with minimal western support.
The US and its allies are trying to reverse this trend, sending in weapons and providing training to build up the strength of this opposition as a ground force to counter Isil.
Past efforts to build up the strength of this opposition has failed as the groups fractured and squabbled among themselves over limited weapons supplies. Efforts to transform them into a proper fighting force then will take a long time, and, western diplomats have told the Telegraph, even then, they will not be strong enough in numbers to fight Isil alone.
08:57 Twitter users were discussing the US air strikes against Isil before they were officially announced.
Abdulkader Hariri began tweeting about huge explosions in the city of Raqqa around 30 minutes before the Pentagon made its announcement:
08:45 An Islamic State fighter said on Tuesday the group will respond to US-led air strikes inside Syria and blamed Saudi Arabia for allowing them to happen.
"These attacks will be answered. The sons of Saloul are the ones who are to be blamed. It happened because of them," he told Reuters, using a derogatory term for Saudi Arabia's royal Saudi family.
08:35 Israel has shot down a Syrian fighter jet which entered their airspace, the first time in 25 years that Israel has taken such action against one of Syria's planes, according to the Telegraph's Robert Tait.
"A warplane that penetrated Israeli territory was successfully shot down a short while ago by the air defence systems along the Syrian border," a military statement said, without giving further details.
Army radio said it was apparently a MiG-21 fighter jet which was shot down by a surface-to-air Patriot missile, with the wreckage landing on the Syrian-controlled side of the plateau.
08:33 The US military has confirmed its partners in air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria included Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
In a CENTCOM statement, it added the US military had taken action to disrupt "imminent attack" against the US and Western interests by "seasoned al Qaeda veterans" who had established a safe haven in Syria, according to Reuters. "These strikes were undertaken only by US assets," it said.
The statement said the US had launched strikes from warships in international waters in the Red Sea and the North Arabian Gulf.
It said Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi and the UAE had "also participated in or supported the air strikes against (Islamic State) targets. All aircraft safely exited the strike areas," it said.
The statement said:
QuoteA mix of fighters, bombers, remotely piloted aircraft and Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles conducted 14 strikes against ISIL targets.
The strikes destroyed or damaged multiple ISIL targets in the vicinity of the towns of Ar Raqqah in north central Syria, Dayr az Zawr and Abu Kamal in eastern Syria and Al Hasakah in northeastern Syria. The targets included ISIL fighters, training compounds, headquarters and command and control facilities, storage facilities, a finance center, supply trucks and armed vehicles, the news release said.
The US military also targeted another militan group, the al-Qaeda linked Khorasan Group:
QuoteSeparately, the United States also took action to disrupt the imminent attack plotting against the United States and Western interests conducted by a network of seasoned al-Qaida veterans known as the Khorasan Group. The group has established a safe haven in Syria to develop external attacks, construct and test improvised explosive devices and recruit Westerners to conduct operations, the release said. These strikes were undertaken only by US assets.
In total, US Central Command forces conducted eight strikes against Khorasan Group targets located west of Aleppo, to include training camps, an explosives and munitions production facility, a communication building and command and control facilities.
08:30 Jordan has said its warplanes joined the strikes against Islamic State, becoming the first Arab state to confirm its participation in the raids.
"We took part in the strikes which are part of our efforts to defeat terrorism in its strongholds," government spokesman Mohammad Al-Momani told AFP.
08:00 The Telegraph's Ruth Sherlock writes:
I think this could be a dangerous step for the US in the fight against Isil. If air strikes are not coupled with a mission to turn the local tribes in northern Syria against Isil, it could actually increase support for the jihadist group.
There is also the question of how this plays out in terms of the Syrian regime. It's difficult to see how the US can fight Isil in Syria without seeming as if it is, indirectly at least, supporting the Syrian regime.
07:57 Syrian state television said the United States informed Syria's UN representative on Monday that Islamic State targets would be hit in Raqqa, which is 400 km (250 miles) northeast of Damascus. A group monitoring the war in Syria said at least 20 Islamic State fighters were killed.
07:55 Britain was not involved in the air strikes against Isil. The Ministry of Defence say discussions are 'ongoing' and no decision has been made.
07:52 A US official, speaking to the Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity, said that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Bahrain were involved although their exact roles in the military action were unclear.
Qatar played a supporting role in the air strikes, the official said, in what is an unprecedented and unexpected show of regional solidarity against the Isil group that has rampaged through Syria and Iraq.
07:50 Also overnight, British hostage John Cantlie was once more paraded by Isil extremists to deliver a message of defiance against the US and their allies in the latest video to be released online.
The video, close to six minutes long, is titled ‘Lend Me Your Ears – Messages from the British Detainee John Cantlie’ and is tagged as episode one. At the end of the film Cantlie urges viewers to “join him next time”.

An US AV-8B Harrier jet launching from the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (US NAVY / Christopher Lindahl/EPA)

07:45 Welcome to live coverage of the US campaign against Islamic State (IS). Overnight, the US and its allies launched a fresh offensive against the fighters of the Islamic State (Isil), striking targets in Syria for the first time using cruise missiles, drones as well as warplanes.
The strikes were concentrated around the city of Raqqa, the militants’ main stronghold close to the border with Iraq.
“US military and partner nation forces have begun striking Isil targets in Syria using mix of fighters, bombers and Tomahawk missiles,” said Admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary.
end quote from:

US launches air strikes against Isil in Syria - live

Telegraph.co.uk - ‎49 minutes ago‎
... • David Cameron on Isil: "These People Want to Kill Us" • US military launches air strikes against Isil in Syria • John Cantlie warns West of another Vietnam in latest Isil video • US Navy releases video of missile strikes against Isil • Turkey faces refugee crisis ...
Biggest U.S.-Arab Bloc Since '91 Pounds Islamist Militants; Cover for Washington
Obama: Syria strikes show 'this is not America's fight alone'
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Coalition of the willing
Airstrikes alone may not defeat Sunni militants

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