A British citizen and fighter implicated in a London plot has been killed in an unprecedented drone attack in Syria by UK forces.
In a move Prime Minister David Cameron said was "a new departure" for Britain, Reyaad Khan was assassinated last month by an RAF drone strike - the first time the UK had directed a targeted attack against one of its own citizens when Britain was not at war. It also marks the first independent British military action in Syria, and Cameron made clear that UK forces were prepared to carry out more strikes in Syria, Iraq and Libya against specific targets.
Downing St denied the existence of a "kill list" of terrorists. However, it has been made clear by Whitehall sources that British-born Isis fighters including "Jihadi John", the terrorist responsible for executing Westerners in Syria, are targets for UK forces. Cameron authorised the strike without the approval of Parliament but said a vote was not required because it was an act of "self-defence" for which there was a "clear legal basis".
Announcing the strikes, Cameron said: "My first duty as Prime Minister is to keep the British people safe. That is what I will always do. There was a terrorist directing murder on our streets and no other means to stop them. This Government does not for one moment take these decisions lightly.
"But I am not prepared to stand here in the aftermath of a terrorist attack on our streets and have to explain why I did not take the chance to prevent it when I could have done."
