Coalition against Islamic State begins to form

French fighter jets had already attacked Islamic State targets in Iraq on Thursday in response to the beheading of a French national by the militant group. The United States also bombed IS targets in Syria yesterday.

The strikes come one day after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani blamed the rise of the terrorist group on the mistakes of the West. “The strategic blunders of the West in the Middle East, Central Asia and the Caucasus have turned these parts of the world into a haven for terrorists and extremists" he said in a speech before the UN General Assembly.

Parliament in the UK is set to approve planned airstrikes on Islamic State positions in Iraq today, after David Cameron speech the the UN on Thursday where he promised that “the UK will play its part” in fighting the terrorist group.

The announcement has given momentum to the formation of a U.S.-led coalition to fight the militants.

He was reticient about sending in ground troops, however, saying that while the solution is not western ground troops “directly trying to pacify or reconstruct Middle Eastern or African countries”, the military may play a role in training, advising and supporting humanitarian missions.