Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been their contribution to the current battle for Ramadi; what is their estimate of the resident population of Ramadi in (1) 2004, (2) 2009, (3) 2015, and (4) now; what is their assessment of where the people who have left that city are now living; and what contribution they are making to the support and help for these displaced people.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Royal Air Force’s close air support operations continue to play a key role in the Coalition’s support to the Iraqi Security Force’s in the battle for Ramadi. A lack of official data in Iraq makes population estimates unreliable. The best population estimates we have for Ramadi are 455,000 in 2004 and 376,000 in 2011. The planning figure used by the UN Development Programme stabilisation work is 500,000. The majority of the population of Ramadi had already left when Daesh entered the city, with most fleeing to host communities or camps. The UN estimated the residual population of the city at approximately 12,000-15,000 people. The UK has provided £79.5million in humanitarian support across Iraq since June 2014. The UK is the biggest donor to the UN emergency pooled funding mechanism and provides support through the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and other international bodies for those displaced.Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they treat UK citizens in Iraq and Syria who participate in ISIL actions and activities as enemy combatants or criminals, and whether in making such assessments they consider what the actions of those individuals were, in particular whether they are violent or of violent intent, and whether or not their violence is targeted at the UK or UK citizens.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
More than 750 Britons of national security concern have travelled to the region since the start of the conflict and we estimate that around half of those have returned. Those who have committed criminal offences (including financing terrorism, training for terrorism and murder) should expect to be prosecuted for their crimes on their return to the UK.
The British Government is carrying out air strikes to support Iraqi and Kurdish forces’ efforts against Daesh in Iraq. UK citizens who are part of Daesh in Iraq are in no different position to other Daesh members there. The current position in Syria is that the UK will only take military action if there is a critical British national interest at stake or there was the need to act to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe. In relation to the airstrike against Reyaad Khan on 21 August, I refer the noble Lord to the oral statement of 7 September 2015 made by the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), which was repeated the same day in the House of Lords by The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Stowell of Beeston), (Official Report, column 1249).
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, and to what extent, they are (1) engaged in diplomatic contacts with, and (2) providing support to, the Kurdish authorities and groups involved in the conflicts in Syria and Iraq.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK has a strong and well-established relationship with the Kurdistan Region of Northern Iraq. We maintain a Consulate General in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, and have regular contact with officials from the Kurdistan Regional Government. As part of our wider support to Iraq, we are providing significant military assistance to the Kurdish Peshmerga to help them degrade and defeat ISIL. In addition to air support, we have trained over 2,100 Peshmerga fighters in infantry fighting skills, weapons handling and Counter-Improvised Explosive Device procedures. We have also gifted weapons, non-lethal equipment and airlifted support provided by other partners in the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL.
In Syria the situation is more difficult. Kurdish groups are effective against ISIL, and have benefited from US airstrikes against ISIL. But we remain concerned that the Syrian Kurdish authorities maintain links with the Assad regime and the proscribed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), so we are not able to provide material support. UKofficials have discussed our concerns with the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the ruling Kurdish authority in Northern Syria and continue to do so.