Neighbouring Britain and France moved closer to military action in Syria as high level sources indicated that air strikes against terrorist group Islamic State is imminent.
A senior British minister on Saturday said Europe’s migration crisis had to be tackled at its source and a newspaper said a parliamentary vote on bombing Islamic State militants in Syria could take place next month.
Meanwhile, French newspaper Le Monde reported earlier that France was considering conducting air strikes on Islamic State in Syria, joining an international coalition led by the United States.
The Sunday Times newspaper said British Prime Minister David Cameron wanted to hold a vote in parliament in early October to pave the way for air strikes against Islamic State in Syria.
He was also seeking to launch a military and intelligence offensive against people traffickers, the newspaper said, quoting senior officials. Cameron has suggested he would like to ask Britain’s parliament to vote to join the US-led air strikes on Islamic State militants in Syria, after lawmakers rejected military strikes in Syria in 2013.
However, the prime minister said on Friday he would only proceed with a fresh vote in parliament if there was a “genuine consensus” in Britain about bombing Islamic State in Syria.
In France, government officials declined to comment on the report, saying President Francois Hollande would express his views on the matter at a news conference on Monday.
