Raqqa is head of snake, says Cameron as he calls for Syrian air strikes

British prime minister David Cameron has pledged to make the case for RAF air strikes against Islamic State (IS) targets in Syria in the wake of the Paris terror attacks.

Mr Cameron said that the jihadists, who have claimed responsibility for the bloody wave of assaults in the French capital, represented a “direct and growing threat” to the UK.

He told MPs that Raqqa in Syria was the “snake’s head” for IS, and Britain should be attacking there to “rid the world of this evil”.

The statement sets up a House of Commons showdown with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who has made clear his opposition to military action.

The prime minister said he would personally be setting out a “comprehensive strategy” for dealing with IS in a response to a report by the cross-party Commons affairs committee, which raised concerns about the prospect of further UK military intervention.

“It is in Syria, in Raqqa, that [IS] has its headquarters and it is from Raqqa that some of the main threats against this country are planned and orchestrated,” Mr Cameron said. “Raqqa, if you like, is the head of the snake.”

Allies asking

“We face a direct and growing threat to our country and we need to deal with it, not just in

Iraq

but in Syria too,” he said. “Our allies are asking us to do this, and the case for doing so has only grown stronger after the Paris attacks.”

Mr Cameron’s office said there was no date or timetable for a Commons vote on military action in Syria, but that the strategy would be set out by the end of the month.

The move comes amid signs that growing numbers of Labour MPs could defy Mr Corbyn and back military action – offsetting the Tory rebels who have made clear they would vote against it.

The Labour leader has infuriated many of his own MPs with his response to the Paris attacks, including a suggestion that he was “not happy” with the idea of security forces following a “shoot-to-kill” policy in the event of a similar attack in the UK.

Earlier, the Ministry of Defence released details of the latest air strikes in Iraq carried out on Monday by RAF Tornado GR4 fighter bombers in support of a Kurdish offensive in the north of the country.

“There was heavy cloud, which may have encouraged the terrorists to assume that they were safe from air attack,” the ministry said.

“But, working very closely with the Kurdish forces, the GR4s were able to guide a Paveway on to a large group of . . . terrorists who were massing for a counter-attack; the Kurdish unit subsequently reported that the air strike had been highly effective.” –(PA)