British Prime Minister David Cameron pledged on Monday to take in up to 20,000 Syrian refugees over the next five years, while also announcing the UK has launched its first airstrike in the country whose civil war has driven millions to flee.

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"We are proposing that Britain should resettle up to 20,000 Syrian refugees over the rest of this parliament. In doing so, we will continue to show the world that this country is a country of extraordinary compassion,” he said in a statement to parliament.

Cameron has been under pressure to take in a far greater number of refugees to help with the wider migrant crisis that has seen hundreds of thousands of people arrive in mainland Europe.

The figure is still well below the numbers being taken by some other European countries however, with Germany expecting to receive around 800,000 refugees and migrants this year.

Britain has so far taken in only 216 Syrian refugees under a UN-backed relocation scheme and about 5,000 other Syrians who have made their own way to Britain and been granted asylum.

Cameron said the refugees would be taken from camps in Syria and neighbouring countries. Since 2011, millions of Syrians have been displaced by civil war, with more than 4 million ending up in refugee camps in surrounding countries like Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon.

“We will continue with our approach of taking refugees from the camps and from elsewhere in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon,” he said. “This provides refugees with a more direct and safe route to the United Kingdom.”

UK launches first airstrike in Syria

Cameron also revealed that Britain has for the first time conducted an airstrike in Syria, killing two of its own nationals suspected of fighting for the Islamic State (IS) group, despite not having a parliamentary mandate to take military action in the country.

Britain conducts regular attacks in neighbouring Iraq and flies drones over Syria to gather intelligence on the hardline IS group. But unlike some other coalition partners, it does not target IS group positions in Syria.

Cameron told parliament that, as an act of self defence, one Briton had been targeted and killed in a precision airstrike carried out by an RAF remotely piloted aircraft in August. Two others travelling with the man – including another Briton – were also killed.

Cameron said the Briton targeted in the strike, Reyaad Khan, had been suspected of planning terrorist attacks against the UK.

“There was a terrorist directing murder on our streets and no other means to stop him,” Cameron said. “We took this action because there was no alternative.”



Earlier Monday, French President François Hollande said France was also considering launching airstrikes against IS group targets in Syria, but would first begin reconnaissance flights over the country and use the intelligence gathered to form its final decision.

(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)

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