UK may be drawn into Syria conflict

 

Britain will find it increasingly difficult to avoid taking part in action in Syria, a former Army commander warned today.

Colonel Richard Kemp, who led UK forces in Afghanistan, said the escalating civil war meant it was more likely that western governments would intervene to stop the bloodshed spreading to neighbouring countries.

Last week President Bashar al-Assad's regime was rocked by the assassinations of two defence ministers and a series of military defections.

Col Kemp said today: "Whether or not Assad falls, the question of military intervention will remain a live issue.

"External intervention has been under way in Syria for months, with Russia arming the regime.

"At the same time Saudi Arabia and Qatar, with US and Turkish facilitation, have been arming and funding the opposition; and this covert support has been substantially responsible for the progress opposition forces have made in recent weeks.

"Western political leaders may have no appetite for deeper intervention. But as history has shown, we do not always choose which wars to fight - sometimes wars choose us."

Options could include arming opposition fighters, diverting cash to rebel authorities or joining a coalition for military action.

Prime Minister David Cameron ordered British forces into action last year in Libya, with RAF jets enforcing a no-fly zone, Royal Navy warships firing missiles off the Libyan coast and special forces helping rebels topple leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Col Kemp's comments came in A Collision Course for Intervention, a paper published by the Royal United Services Institute as tension is ramped up along Syria's borders, sparking fears of wider regional conflict.

Foreign Secretary William Hague last week criticised China and Russia for vetoing a United Nations Security Resolution which would have increased pressure on President Assad's rule and could have paved the way for military action.

Col Kemp added: "Military planners have a responsibility to prepare for intervention options in Syria for their political masters in case this conflict chooses them.

"Preparation will be proceeding today in several Western capitals and on the ground in Syria and in Turkey.

"They will however have grave reservations over the consequences and the cost of intervention as well as the geopolitical implications.

"Aside from the stance of Russia and China, the absence of a coherent opposition movement that could replace Assad without potentially increasing bloodshed will be high among those reservations.

"Up to the point of Assad's collapse, we are most likely to see a continuation or intensification of the under-the-radar options of financial support, arming and advising the rebels, clandestine operations and perhaps cyber warfare from the West.

"After any collapse, however, the military options will be seen in a different light."

A spokeswoman at the Foreign Office said the Government was committed to a peace plan drawn up by former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan.

Foreign Secretary William Hague has previously called on Russia to increase pressure on the Syrian regime to implement the plan, while admitting "cautionary words about military intervention" were understood by ministers.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman added the UK Government was seeking a peaceful resolution to the crisis without the need for military intervention.

She said last week's UN Security Council Resolution was tabled under Article 41 of the UN Charter, and related to sanctions against Syria and not military action.

The legally binding resolution would compel Assad to comply with Annan's plan, she added.

PA

Top stories
News in pictures
World news in pictures
UK news in pictures
UK news in pictures
More stories
       
Independent
Travel Shop
Lake Como and the Bernina Express
Seven nights half-board from £749pp Find out more
Dubrovnik and the Dalmatian coast
Seven nights half-board from only £859pp Find out more
Prague city break
Three nights from only £199pp Find out more
 
Independent Dating
and  

By clicking 'Search' you
are agreeing to our
Terms of Use.

iJobs Job Widget
iJobs General

Ambitous PR Account Manager for Top London Agency!

£30000 - £35000 per annum: May & Stephens Recruitment Group: If you're an ambi...

PR Account Director - Top Healthcare Communications Agency

£43000 - £50000 per annum + £5K Car Allowance + Bens : May & Stephens Recrui...

PR Account Executive & Social Media Guru-Top Tech PR Agency!

£18000 - £22000 per annum + Bens : May & Stephens Recruitment Group: If you're...

Telesales Executive

£16000 - £23000 per annum + OTE £23k - £45k: Connex Education: Connex Educatio...

Day In a Page

'To farm I have to rape the countryside. It’s got to be wrong': The true effect of the badger cull

The true effect of the badger cull

'To farm I have to rape the countryside. It’s got to be wrong'
Theatre review: Daniel Radcliffe gives an admirably honest performance in Michael Grandage's The Cripple of Inishmaan

First night: The Cripple of Inishmaan

Daniel Radcliffe gives an admirably honest performance in Michael Grandage's comedy
Girls Guides drop religious reference but pledge to self and the Queen

Guides drop religious reference but pledge to self and the Queen

After 103 years, organisation changes oath to welcome 'all girls, of all faiths, and none'
Steve Tongue: Joe Kinnear was one of the boys and a breath of fresh air... 21 years ago

Steve Tongue

Joe Kinnear was one of the boys and a breath of fresh air... 21 years ago
Chris Froome: Free from 'pain in neck' after Bradley Wiggins' exit

Chris Froome: Free from 'pain in neck' after Wiggins' exit

Sky's lead rider says he is in fantastic form for the Tour and happy pecking order debate is over
Hannah England: I've got the right times – now to focus on the chess

Hannah England: Keeping Track

I've got the right times – now to focus on the chess
Beards, brawn and body art

Beards, brawn and body art

Meet London’s new batch of male models
Scandi-geeks descend on Nordicana for fan-convention

Scandi-geeks descend on Nordicana for fan-convention

British love of shows such as The Bridge, Borgen and The Killing shows no sign of fading
Behind the rhetoric what is really being done to combat desertification?

The Great Green Wall of Africa,

Behind the rhetoric what is really being done to combat desertification?
Laughter Inc: the cheering growth of the chuckle industry

Laughter Inc

The cheering growth of the chuckle industry
The bad science scandal: how fact-fabrication is damaging UK's global name for research

The bad science scandal

How fact-fabrication is damaging UK's global name for research
To the manor born: The female aristocrats battling to inherit the title

Female aristocrats battle to inherit the title

A passionate protest is gathering pace among the women of Britain's aristocracy, who believe that men should no longer automatically inherit the family pile and title.
Love struck: Photographs of JFK's visit to Berlin 50 years ago reveal a nation instantly smitten

In pictures: JFK's visit to Berlin in 1963

Photographer Ulrich Mack accompanied Kennedy on the entire trip. The results are an astonishing record of a watershed moment.
Eat shoots and leaves: Mark Hix gets creative with fresh peas, mangetouts and sugar snaps

Mark Hix gets creative with English peas

English peas and their offsprings, such as mangetouts and sugar snaps, are great tossed into a salad, says our chef.
Ceviche with a smile: Chef Martin Morales has turned South America's elegant cuisine into one of London's hottest food trends

Chef Martin Morales: Ceviche with a smile

Morales has turned South America's elegant cuisine into one of London's hottest food trends