So the Islamic State is the topic du jour right now so lets carry on with it.
Who's doing what?
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| USS George H.W. Bush in Arabian Gulf |
The U.S has already conducted its first offensive airstrikes in support of Iraqi army and Kurdish forces in the Mosul region. Obama has just ruled out putting boots on the ground for combat purposes but will be sending forces to assist the Iraqi army, the trouble is that it's easy to make statements but the reality can be very different. There is also talk of airstrikes in Syria, the U.S is warning the Syrian government against interfering in this.
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| Peshmerga forces |
Britain has begun sending arms (heavy machine guns and ammo) to the Kurds (most probably the Peshmerga militias) as well as having already provided non-lethal support such as body-armor. Britain is also ferrying arms from Arab nations, it is not clear who is the recipient of these arms but it's probably the Iraqi army rather than the Kurds. Britain has also hinted that it would conduct airstrikes in Iraq if parliament approved, Syria appears off the table as experts have taken the view it would be illegal without a request from the Syrian government.
