Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK military action near al-Tanf, Syria, on 21 June was approved by Parliament.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Parliamentary debate and vote of 2 December 2015 approved the involvement of UK Armed Forces in counter-Daesh operations in Syria. UK aircraft were operating in defence of our Coalition partners who had come under attack in the conduct of such operations. Our actions on 21 June were a proportionate response to the threat posed to partner forces, complied with International Humanitarian Law and there were no civilian, coalition or partner casualties.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 24 April (HL6880), which armed opposition groups they are supporting in Syria.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The overwhelming effort in the fight against Daesh in Syria has been undertaken by the Syrian Democratic Forces.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, with regard to the death of a British soldier in Syria on 29 March, whether they have received advice concerning the legal basis for the presence of British soldiers in Syria; and if so, what was that advice.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Sergeant Tonroe, who was killed on 29 March, was embedded with US forces on a counter-Daesh operation. The legal basis for operations against Daesh in Iraq and Syria is the collective self-defence of Iraq.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 8 March (HL5782), how they reconcile the statement that “our military role in the Global Coalition is limited to air strikes” with the presence of a British soldier in Syria who was killed by a roadside bomb in Manbij on 29 March.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Sergeant Tonroe, who was killed on 29 March 2018, was embedded with US forces on a counter-Daesh operation.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the outcome of the investigation by the Global Coalition into the death of a British soldier in Manbij, Syria, on 29 March; and whom that investigation determined was responsible for laying the bomb.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Government will not provide any additional information on the circumstances surrounding the death of Sergeant Tonroe at this time.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Turkey about the laying of a roadside bomb in Manbij, Syria, reportedly by allies of Turkey, which killed a British soldier on 29 March.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Government will not provide any additional information on the circumstances surrounding the death of Sgt Tonroe.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to withdraw support from the Free Syrian Army (FSA), following reports that the FSA were responsible for the roadside bomb which killed a British soldier in Manbij on 29 March.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The UK is not providing support to the Free Syrian Army. The Government will not provide any additional information on the circumstances surrounding the death of Sgt Tonroe.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will clarify the basis of their policy of not commenting on the operations of British Special Forces; and what is their assessment of the extent to which that policy is compatible with the principle of parliamentary scrutiny.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
It is this Government's, and previous Governments', policy not to comment, and to dissuade others from commenting or speculating, about the operational activities of Special Forces because of the security implications. To prevent the inadvertent confirmation or otherwise of any information or assertion the approach has been to neither confirm nor deny, and to decline to comment when questions concerning Special Forces are posed. This is entirely compatible with the principle of Parliamentary scrutiny, which is exercised through Ministerial oversight of Special Forces operations.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the speech by the United States Secretary of State on 17 January, in which he referred to "stabilization initiatives" in liberated areas of Syria; and whether UK military personnel seconded to the Coalition are involved in such initiatives, either in the field or at Coalition headquarters.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
We welcome the US's ongoing commitment to Syria. The UK will continue to work closely with the US government as part of the Global Coalition, to ensure the lasting defeat of Daesh by preventing the conditions which led to its emergence. In areas liberated from Daesh, the UK is making a significant humanitarian contribution to help meet the immediate needs of the population, for example through supporting de-mining work and the provision of life-saving medical care. At the same time it is important that locally legitimate and inclusive governance is established in these areas. UK military personnel are present in Coalition HQs which support counter-Daesh operations, of which post-conflict stabilisation is a vital part.