Defense Secretary Fallon said the RAF’s efforts in Iraq against the Islamic State could last weeks or months, as it “is not simply a humanitarian mission,” but vowed that the British Army would not have boots on the ground in Iraq. Prime Minister Cameron issued a statement on Aug. 16 asserting that the fight against the Islamic State is “a generational struggle against a poisonous and extremist ideology,” and said it calls for a tough military response, an intelligent political course, and fortitude.
