UK parliament set to approve Iraq air strikes against Islamic State

By William James LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to win approval from parliament to join U.S.-led air strikes on Islamic State militants in Iraq at a specially convened session on Friday. A coalition including the United States and Middle Eastern allies such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates has already started bombing Islamic State targets both in Iraq and Syria. France has also taken part in the strikes on the insurgents in Iraq, although so far not in Syria. Until now, Cameron has held back from joining the action after suffering a humiliating defeat last year when lawmakers rejected British air strikes against Syrian government forces. The vote also undermined U.S. President Barack Obama's efforts to win support for air attacks on Damascus forces, which he subsequently called off at the last minute. By contrast, parties from across the political spectrum have signaled they will back Cameron's position in Friday's vote, which is expected at about 1600 GMT. Approval would take Britain into its first military action since a 2011 aerial campaign against Muammar Gaddafi's forces in Libya. Cameron announced the emergency recall of parliament on Wednesday. Islamic State - which has captured swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria - posed a threat to Britain's security that could not be ignored, he said, adding that he was confident of winning cross-party support. Britons are wary of another war after long, unpopular campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, the beheading of two U.S. journalists and a British aid worker by a militant with a British accent has rallied political support for tackling Islamic State. Britain says around 500 of its citizens have traveled to fight in Syria and northern Iraq, raising fears that radicalized fighters could return to stage attacks on home soil - something Cameron has described as the biggest threat to national security. Cameron, who is up for re-election next year, has ruled out sending British ground troops to fight and made clear that its involvement was conditional on the Iraqi government asking for help, which it did on Wednesday. He has also stressed the importance of involvement by regional powers in an effort to avoid the perception of a Western assault against Islam - something that could be used as a propaganda tool to recruit insurgents. The approach looks to have won over sceptical lawmakers in Cameron's Conservative party, who rebelled last August when he sought approval to launch an air assault on the Syrian government in response to its use of chemical weapons. Although some dissent is expected, the leader of the main opposition Labour party, Ed Miliband has said his lawmakers will support the motion, as will the Liberal Democrats, junior partner in the coalition - effectively ensuring it will pass. Amid wider legal and technical concerns, the government will not seek approval to take its fight against Islamic State across the border into Syria, where the group has also established a stronghold. Australia, Belgium and the Netherlands are also set to join the air strikes in Iraq. (Editing by David Stamp)