U.S.-led airstrikes in Iraq could last years, Cameron tells British Parliament

LONDON, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- In his address to Parliament on Friday, British Prime Minister David Cameron outlined his justification for joining U.S.-led airstrikes against the Islamic State in Iraq.

Cameron outlined a series of questions that must be considered before involving the UK in military action, and then proceeded to respond to those considerations.

"Is this in our national interest, in particular is there a direct threat against the British people?," he queried. "The answer is yes," he told Parliament, outlining the broadcast murder of a British hostage by IS, also known as ISIL, an IS-inspired attacks in Europe, in addition to six other known terror plots that were disrupted.

With regard to the legality of military action in Iraq, Cameron asserted "there is a legal basis," including for action in Syria although he acknowledged that he was not bringing such a motion before the House of Commons because there is a lack of consensus on the topic.

"Above all," Cameron asked Parliament to consider, "do we have a clear idea of what a successful outcome will look like, and are we convinced that our strategy can take us there?"

The British fight against IS in Iraq could last years and the the battle against broader Islamic extremism will be long-term, said Cameron. "Even after ISIL has been dealt with, we should be in no doubt that future British prime ministers and future British governments, I suspect, will be standing at this Dispatch Box, dealing with this issue of Islamist extremism in different forms and in different parts of the world for many years to come."