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| Not enough pilots' for Syria attack, says Madeline Moon | Not enough pilots' for Syria attack, says Madeline Moon |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| A MP has questioned whether the RAF has the capability to attack so-called Islamic State in both Syria and Iraq. | A MP has questioned whether the RAF has the capability to attack so-called Islamic State in both Syria and Iraq. |
| Bridgend's Madeleine Moon, who sits on the government's defence committee, told BBC Wales there were not enough pilots, engineers or navigators to sustain a large air campaign. | Bridgend's Madeleine Moon, who sits on the government's defence committee, told BBC Wales there were not enough pilots, engineers or navigators to sustain a large air campaign. |
| She said: "The first question we should ask isn't 'should we do it?' It's 'can we do it?'" | |
| The Ministry of Defence has been asked to comment. | The Ministry of Defence has been asked to comment. |
| Parliament voted in favour of carrying out air strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria last week. | Parliament voted in favour of carrying out air strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria last week. |
| Ms Moon will travel to Iraq in the new year with other members of the defence committee as part of a review into the fight against IS. | Ms Moon will travel to Iraq in the new year with other members of the defence committee as part of a review into the fight against IS. |
| Speaking on the BBC's Sunday Politics show, she said: "We have a lack of pilots, we have a lack of engineers and we have a lack of navigators to actually get the planes in the air. | Speaking on the BBC's Sunday Politics show, she said: "We have a lack of pilots, we have a lack of engineers and we have a lack of navigators to actually get the planes in the air. |
| "People talk about the Typhoons (fighter jets) but the Typhoon can't carry the Brimstone missile which the Americans are so keen to utilise." | "People talk about the Typhoons (fighter jets) but the Typhoon can't carry the Brimstone missile which the Americans are so keen to utilise." |
| The UK has been carrying out air strikes against IS fighters in Iraq since 2013 and according to Ms Moon, 30% of the ground occupied by IS has been won back. | The UK has been carrying out air strikes against IS fighters in Iraq since 2013 and according to Ms Moon, 30% of the ground occupied by IS has been won back. |
| But she has concerns the other 70% is now being discounted as attention turns to Syria. | But she has concerns the other 70% is now being discounted as attention turns to Syria. |
| She said: "We made that same mistake in the past. We were in Afghanistan and in 2001 we went into Iraq and we divided our forces; we split our capability. | She said: "We made that same mistake in the past. We were in Afghanistan and in 2001 we went into Iraq and we divided our forces; we split our capability. |
| "Since then we've had a 30% cut in our armed forces and our armed capabilities and yet we're still thinking we can fight on two fronts. And for me that's not acceptable." | "Since then we've had a 30% cut in our armed forces and our armed capabilities and yet we're still thinking we can fight on two fronts. And for me that's not acceptable." |