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Britain says its pilots conducted Syria airstrikes


    LONDON (Reuters) - British pilots have participated in airstrikes over Syria on the behalf of allies such as the United States and Canada, the Ministry of Defence said on Friday.

    Prime Minister David Cameron failed to get approval from British lawmakers in 2013 for military action in Syria, though Britain conducts regular attacks in neighbouring Iraq.

    "The UK itself is not conducting air strikes in Syria," a spokesman said. "But we do have a long-standing embed programme with allies, where small numbers of UK personnel act under the command of host nations. That has been the case in Syria."

    (Reporting by William James and Kate Holton; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)