London: British Prime Minister David Camer has offered all possible help to French President Francois Hollande to win a Commons vote to bomb IS terrorists in Syria. Hollande has been repeating that his country was “at war” with the IS after the Paris carnage, has found a new ally in Cameron. Besides increased sharing of data and airline records, Cameron has offered Hollande use of Britain's Akrotiri military base in Cyprus to aid the fight, including refuelling.
The British PM said: “It was his firm conviction that Britain should join attacks alongside America, France and Russia. It is clear that the world is coming together to tackle this evil terrorist threat.”
Cameron, who was in Paris this week for talks with the French leader, said: “I firmly support the decisive action taken by President Hollande to strike ISIL in Syria, it is my firm belief that we should do so too.”
Cameron and Hollande visited the Bataclan theatre, where IS terrorists wreaked havoc on November 13 gunning down 89 innocent people watching an American rock band. Altogether, 130 people were killed in a series of IS attacks on that day. The mastermind behind the Paris attack was British, trained by British clerics. He was killed during an action by French police.
Hollande is making trips to US and Russia to garner stronger international support to combat the IS menace. He is also meeting German chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in this connection.
Hollande said: “We will intensify our strikes, choosing targets that will do the most damage possible to this army of terrorists."
Lockdown in Brussels
Resentment has been building in Brussels as the government has ordered the closure of schools, shops and the city’s underground transport system as an emergency measure to meet the “imminent” terrorism threat in the city. “The threat level is the same,” said Charles Michel, the prime minister, on Monday night.
After three days of lockdown in the capital police are no closer to arresting Salah Abdeslam, one of the key suspects in the Paris attacks who is still on the run, or to breaking up a terrorist cell said to be active in the country. The emergency measures was in place until Monday, although schools and the underground train system were to be opened from Tuesday.
Police arrested 21 people in raids across Belgium, but no weapons or explosives were seized - leading many to question emergency measures that are unprecedented since the Second World War. Three of those arrested are still in custody, Seventeen have been freed, and one man has been charged for his alleged role in the Paris massacre, bringing the total to four. Their names have not been released.
Indian-American among 22 killed in Mali
In a Paris style attack Islamic militants stormed a luxury hotel in Mali's capital and killed 22 people, including an Indian-American health worker Anita Ashok Datar, 41, last week. Twenty captured Indians were safely evacuated. Nine hours after the siege of the Radisson Blu hotel in Mali's capital by extremists owing allegiance to al-Qaida, Malian security minister Salif Traore announced the end of the hostage crisis after two gunmen were killed. French forces from Burkina Faso were in the hotel and participated in the operations alongside Malian soldiers. Though there was no direct link between Friday's strike with the Paris attack, Mali has been at the centre of French military operations against Islamists in Africa.
