Prime Minister David Cameron pledged yesterday to take in up to 20,000 Syrian refugees over the next five years, responding to public clamour for his government to help those fleeing civil war in the country.
“We are proposing that Britain should resettle up to 20,000 Syrian refuges over the rest of this parliament. In doing so, we will continue to show the world that this country is a country of extraordinary compassion,” he told parliament.
He said the refugees would be taken from camps in Syria and neighbouring countries.
Britain has so far taken in only 216 Syrian refugees under a UN-backed relocation scheme. About 5,000 other Syrians who have made their own way to Britain have been granted asylum. On the other hand, Germany expects to receive around 800,000 refugees and migrants this year.
Cameron also told parliament that Britain has killed two of its own nationals who had been fighting for Islamic State (IS) and plotting attacks on British soil, in its first air strike in Syria.
Despite not having a parliamentary mandate to take military action in Syria, Cameron said Briton Reyaad Khan had been targeted and killed in a precision drone strike as an act of self-defence. Two people travelling with the man, including another Briton Ruhul Amin, were also killed.