* The killing of tourists in Tunisia on 26 June 2015 by an Islamic State-linked unit was aimed directly at Britain, with thirty of the thirty-eight people killed from the UK. In response, the government will decide, perhaps in days, whether to extend its involvement in the United States-led air war to include Syria (see "Islamic State vs Britain", 2 July 2015).
* Caution should be exercised and the decision should be taken in the context of the current status of Islamic State (IS) and its intentions.
* Islamic State (IS) was announced as a caliphate by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Mosul a year ago after the movement had taken over much of north-west Iraq. The US-led air war against IS started in August and later extended to Syria. As of mid-June it had involved 15,600 air sorties hitting over 7,000 targets and killing around 1,000 IS supporters each month - 10,000 in total to date.
