U.K. votes to join airstrikes against Islamic State group

By

The Associated Press

COMBO – This combination of two satellite images provided by UNITAR-UNOSAT shows damage to the main building of the ancient Temple of Bel in Palmyra, Syria on Monday, Aug. 31, 2015, top, and before the damage on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015. The main building has been destroyed, a United Nations agency said on Monday, Aug. 31, 2015. The imagery was taken before and after a massive explosion was set off near the 2,000-year-old temple in the city occupied by Islamic State militants. (UNITAR-UNOSAT via AP)

British lawmakers have voted to join the international campaign of airstrikes against the Islamic State militant group in Syria.

The 397-223 vote in the House of Commons means Royal Air Force fighter jets — already operating against IS in neighboring Iraq — could be flying over Syria within days or even hours.

Prime Minister David Cameron said that after the deadly Nov. 13 Paris attacks, claimed by IS, Britain should strike the militants in their heartland and not “sit back and wait for them to attack us.”

Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn opposed what he called a “reckless and half-baked intervention,” but dozens of his lawmakers voted with the government to back airstrikes.