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Dutch Commit Fighter Jets to ISIS Coalition, British Vote Friday

The Netherlands said it had the legal justification to help in Iraq but not Syria.
Image: A Dutch F-16
A Dutch F-16 on Volkel airbase in Vonkel, The Netherlands. The Netherlands will provide six F-16 fighter planes to be deployed over Iraq in the fight against ISIS.Jeroen Jumelet / EPA

The Netherlands on Wednesday committed six F-16 fighter jets to the American-led coalition attacking the ISIS militant group, and the British prime minister called Parliament back to session later this week to discuss that country’s role.

The Dutch fighter jets will help the anti-ISIS fight in Iraq but not Syria. The Dutch prime minister told reporters that the Iraqi government’s request for support gave his government the legal justification. He said his country “understood” the U.S. decision to expand the fight into Syria.

In Britain, lawmakers will vote Friday on whether the join the air campaign over Iraq. Prime Minister David Cameron told the BBC that he was confident that Parliament would support getting involved.

Last year, the Cameron government lost a vote in Parliament to approve airstrikes against the regime of Syrian leader Bashar Assad.

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— Erin McClam with Reuters