British Prime Minister David Cameron gestures as he speaks at the 'Girl Summit 2014' in Walworth Academy on July 22, 2014 in London, England.
So-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorists sweeping across Syria and Iraq are a direct threat to Britain and the country must use all tools available to halt their advance, Prime Minister David Cameron said Sunday.
Cameron said that while it would not be right to send an army into Iraq, some degree of military involvement was justified due to the threat that an expanding "terrorist state" would pose to Europe and its allies.
"If we do not act to stem the onslaught of this exceptionally dangerous terrorist movement, it will only grow stronger until it can target us on the streets of Britain," Cameron wrote in The Sunday Telegraph.
"I agree that we should avoid sending armies to fight or occupy, but we need to recognize that the brighter future we long for requires a long-term plan."
Cameron argued that security could only be achieved "if we use all our resources -- aid, diplomacy, our military prowess" and said he planned to send a British representative to the Kurdish region.
He did not spell out how Britain's military could be used, but said he was considering sending body armour and counter-explosive equipment to arm Kurdish forces against the ISIL terrorists.
So far, Britain has sent a spy plane to monitor for attacks on minorities in northern Iraq and Tornado fighter jets to help with the humanitarian mission to aid thousands of fleeing refugees.
Chinook helicopters are on standby in the region in case needed for aid work, and Britain has already delivered weapons from other states to Iraq.
Conservative MP and chair of parliament's Defence Committee Rory Stewart said ISIL Takfiri militants were using sophisticated United States-made weaponry seized from Iraqi troops.
"If we're as serious as we need to be about defending Kurdistan, defendin the minorities from this incredibly brutal regime... we need to make sure the Kurds have the equipment with which to defend themselves," Stewart told Sky News.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Cameron also said the fight against the ISIL extremists would also take place in Britain, and anyone who tried to recruit people to the movement or flew the black flag of ISIL terrorist group would be arrested.
The government has removed 28,000 pieces of "terrorist-related material" from the internet, including 46 videos related to ISIL.
British authorities were particularly concerned about militants travelling from the country to join extremist causes in the Middle East, fearing they could be a danger if they return to Britain.
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