60pc Britons back action against IS

About 60 per cent of the British public back air strikes on Isis and sending in soldiers as part of an international force, according to a new poll published yesterday.

Some 24 per cent were against air strikes, the ComRes survey for the Daily Mail found. The RAF has been involved in air strikes on Isis in Iraq but extending the campaign to attack targets in Syria has proved controversial.

However David Cameron is believed to be becoming confident that he will win a vote in the Commons that would sanction British air strikes on IS targets in Syria.

The poll found 50 per cent were in favour of sending British troops to attack Isis, with 31 per cent against. But the support for such military action rose to 59 per cent if soldiers were sent as part of a broader international coalition including countries such as the US and France. It was even higher – 68 per cent – if the move was backed by the United Nations.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday called for a united front by Muslim leaders to fight extremism after the Paris attacks, warning that otherwise jihadists will commit further atrocities.

"We are at a crossroads in the fight against terrorism after the Paris attacks," Erdogan told a meeting of the Atlantic Council think-tank in Istanbul.

"I strongly condemn the terrorists, who believe in the same religion as me, and I am calling on all leaders of Muslim countries to put up a united front," he said. Turkey has supported rebel groups throughout the over four years of conflict in Syria in the hope they can help oust President Bashar al-Assad from power.