War on terror

Britons who join Daesh should be hunted and killed: UK defence minister

Britons who have joined the Daesh militant group in Syria and Iraq should be hunted down and killed, Britain’s new defence minister said.

Gavin Williamson said that Britons who had gone to Syria or Iraq to fight for Daesh hated what Britain stands for, and that air strikes could be used against the estimated 270 British citizens who are still out there.

“Quite simply my view is a dead terrorist can’t cause any harm to Britain,” Williamson told the Daily Mail in an interview published late on Wednesday.

“We should do everything we can do to destroy and eliminate that threat,” he said, adding that he believed any British fighters who joined Daesh should never be allowed to return to the United Kingdom.

Williamson, 41, has been defence minister for little over a month, replacing Michael Fallon after he quit in a sexual harassment scandal.