We must deal with these psychopathic murderers says Cameron as RAF prepares for bombing raids using Storm Shadow 'bunker busters', Brimstone missiles and Paveway IV bombs

David Cameron last night urged Britain to shake off the spectre of the Iraq war and back potentially years of RAF strikes against the ‘psychopathic murderers’ of Islamic State.

MPs have been scrambled for an emergency recall of Parliament tomorrow to sanction bombing raids on terrorist positions in northern Iraq.

All three party leaders indicated support for air strikes, and the attacks are expected to begin as early as tomorrow night.

But the Prime Minister said the fight against Islamic terrorism could last for years.

Mr Cameron, who last night held talks with Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi to finalise military plans, stressed that British troops would not be sent back to Iraq.

 

But he said Britain should not be ‘frozen with fear’ at the idea of joining the US, France and others in intervening in Iraq again to help smash IS forces.

Ahead of his speech he told reporters: ‘This is completely different to 2003. Everyone can see that Isil (IS) is a direct threat to the UK. They have taken hostages, they have conducted plots to kill and maim British citizens. They are a clear and present danger to the United Kingdom. They are also clearly a massive danger to the region.

An IS militant fires a heavy machine gun during the fighting