Saudi Arabia Supports UK Participation in Anti-Terrorist Efforts in Syria

Saudi Arabia supports the participation of the UK in an aerial operation against Daesh (IS, or Islamic State) jihadist group in Syria, local media reported Tuesday, citing a Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry source.

DUBAI (Sputnik) – UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced on Monday that the UK parliament would vote on December 2 on whether the country will join a military campaign against Daesh in Syria.

"The Kingdom [of Saudi Arabia] is voicing support for strengthening efforts of [US-led] international coalition, including support for expansion of participation of the United Kingdom in military operations," the source told the Saudi Press Agency.

Cameron noted that Saudi Arabia was speaking as one of the first countries that conducted airstrikes against the extremist group in Syria.

For more than a year the United Kingdom has been carrying out airstrikes against Daesh positions in Iraq as part of a US-led coalition of over 60 countries. The UK leader is currently trying to get support in the country’s parliament for a full expansion of its anti-terrorist military operation in Syria.

Russia has been conducting a separate aerial campaign against Daesh positions in Syria since September at the request of President Bashar Assad. The Russian government has outlawed the militant group on its territory, classifying it a terrorist organization.