Oral Answers to Questions

Phillip Lee Excerpts

Monday 18th April 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mike Kane (Wythenshawe and Sale East) (Lab)]

5. What assessment he has made of the progress of the international campaign to defeat ISIS/Daesh.

[Dr Phillip Lee (Bracknell) (Con)]

11. What recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on progress in the campaign against Daesh.

[Helen Whately (Faversham and Mid Kent) (Con)]

14. What recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on progress in the campaign against Daesh.

--- Later in debate ---

[Michael Fallon]

It is early days. The Foreign Secretary visited Tripoli this morning in support of the new Government, and I and fellow European Union Defence Ministers will be meeting in Luxembourg tonight to hear directly from Prime Minister Sarraj as to how he thinks we can best help stabilise that new Government. We urgently need to engage with them, not least to help close down the very dangerous migration route that is seeing so many lives lost in the Mediterranean, and to help that Government tackle the spread of Daesh along the coast.

[Dr Lee]

Can my right hon. Friend confirm that contrary to its propaganda, Daesh has lost much of the territory that it held a year ago, and that now is the right time to back the Iraqi security forces in taking the fight to Daesh?

[Michael Fallon]

My hon. Friend is right. With coalition support, Iraqi security forces have retaken around 40% of the populated areas that Daesh once held in Iraq, including Tikrit, Sinjar and Ramadi, and as I said, Hit is in the process of being cleared. We are continuing to provide vital air support, as well as specialist training and equipment.