Cameron urged to take military action against Isil
Senior military officials and ministers have called for Britain to take immediate military action against Islamic State militants after news emerged that a second British hostage is being threatened.
However, Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to resist calls to recall Parliament this week, as he intends to focus on the Scottish referendum on Thursday.
Cameron will attend the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday, where he is expected to outline plans to combat Islamic State in Syria and the Levant (Isil). He has described them as “monsters”.
On Sunday, the Prime Minister described British aid worker David Haines as a “hero” after Haines was decapitated by Isil militants, while a second UK citizen, Alan Henning, is also being threatened by the jihadists.
“David has been murdered in the most callous and brutal way imaginable by an organisation which is the embodiment of evil,” Cameron said.
“We will hunt down those responsible and bring them to justice no matter how long it takes.”
The Prime Minister reiterated that Haines’ killing would strengthen the UK’s resolve to take on the threat posed by the Islamic extremist group.
A series of military figures and former military chiefs have urged Cameron to decide in favour of air strikes, though allegedly many MPs are still reluctant to see Britain use military forces in Iraq yet again. The Prime Minister could come under scrutiny as he did last year when he gave the green light for air strikes against Syria's Bashar al-Assad.
On the other hand, figures in the Conservative party, including the former defence secretary Liam Fox, are pushing for the UK to join air strikes, while Lord Dannatt, a former chief of the UK army, warned that the strength of Isis could increase if the government did not "confront and destroy" its influence.
Speaking on Sunday, Cameron said the UK could no longer ignore the threat posed by Isil and he welcomed the news of a US-backed plan to confront the Islamic extremists.
"We are a peaceful people. We do not seek out confrontation, but we need to understand we cannot ignore this threat to our security and that to our allies,” Cameron said in a statement.
“There is no option of keeping our heads down that would make us safe […] We cannot just walk on by if we are to keep this country safe. We have to confront this menace.
"Step by step, we must drive back, dismantle and ultimately destroy Isil and what it stands for […] We will not do so on our own, but by working closely with our allies, not just the United States and in Europe, but also in the region because this organisation poses a massive threat to the entire Middle East."
Over 40 countries have signed up to the plan, but only some of them are prepared to offer direct military support.