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Defeating Islamic State militants crucial 'for security of Britain'

Islamic State militants seeking to "subvert and destroy the values of democracy" must be defeated, the Foreign Secretary has warned - saying action was crucial "for the security of Britain."

Foreign ministers from around the world were due to fly in to London today for a top-level summit discussing how to take the terror group down.

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Kerry: Tackling IS threat is 'the challenge of our lifetime'

Tackling the threat posed by Islamic State militants is "the challenge of our time", US Secretary of State John Kerry has said.

Arriving in London for a summit of foreign ministries from around the world, Mr Kerry said there had been "sleeper cells" of extremists in place for a long time, planning attacks which were only now coming to fruition.

He said the aim of the militants was to attack Western values.

The truth is that these groups are planning, and have been planning for a long time - going back to Osama Bin Laden and 9/11 in New York - to attack Western interest and go after anybody that they disagree with.

A very neolistic, unbelievably oppressive sense of how people ought to live. We've seen them carried out in the most grievously horrendous fashion, with public beheadings.

I think this is a challenge for all of us - it's the challenge of our time.

– John Kerry, US Secretary of State

Cameron vows to do 'everything' to stop people joining IS

The Prime Minister has promised the UK will do "everything [it] can" to stop people travelling to Iraq to join Islamic State fighters.

Speaking in No. 10, David Cameron told his Iraqi counterpart Haider al-Abadi:

The threat from extremist terror you face in Iraq is also a threat we face here in the United Kingdom.

We will do everything we can to help stop foreign fighters coming to your country and creating the mayhem we see today.

– David Cameron, Prime Minister

Warning of large-scale attacks organised by IS from afar

Islamic State militants could begin orchestrating terror attacks on the UK and other Western countries from their base in Syria unless urgent action is taken, the Foreign Secretary has warned.

Speaking to ITV's Good Morning Britain, Philip Hammond said the biggest threat to security currently was the potential for "lone wolf" attacks inspired by jihadist activities overseas.

But if extremists managed to keep hold of their territory in the Middle East, he warned, the UK could expect to see organised attacks being planned and executed from afar.

It comes as a meeting is set to be held at Lancaster House in London to discuss the global response to the terrorist group.

Defeating IS militants crucial 'for security of Britain'

Islamic State militants seeking to "subvert and destroy the values of democracy" must be defeated, the Foreign Secretary has warned - saying action was crucial "for the security of Britain."

Foreign ministers from around the world were due to fly in to London today for a top-level summit discussing how to take the terror group down.

Support for opposition fighters, such as the Kurdish People's Protection Units, will be among the topics on the table Credit: Reuters

US secretary of state John Kerry, Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi and French foreign minister Laurent Fabius will be among leaders from 21 countries joining the talks.

They will focus not only on military support for opposition fighters but ways to cut off Islamic State finances, stop its influence spreading and preventing foreign fighters joining their ranks.

In an article for the Daily Telegraph, Philip Hammond said:

Some say that Britain should leave this fight to others. But we cannot sub-contract the safeguarding of our nation's security.

Nor can we ignore an organisation that seeks to subvert and destroy the values of democracy, free speech, freedom of religion and the rule of law that are so fundamental to our way of life.

– Philip Hammond, Foreign Secretary

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