BRITISH combat troops could be required to fight in Iraq and Syria to eradicate the threat from the Islamic State (IS), according to former head of the army General Lord Dannatt.
The former chief of the general staff said Western leaders may have to "think the unthinkable" and send in troops if the combination of air strikes and local forces cannot counter the jihadis.
He added the Government may have to think again about whether joining in air strikes against IS in Syria as bombing missions might ultimately not be enough.
Speaking after the murder of US aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig, Lord Dannatt said more concerted action was needed.
In an interview with Sky News, he said it was essential to get "all means available into the field" to take on the militant group.
He added: "It means attacking IS from the air over Iraq and Syria. It also means we have got to build up local forces more quickly on the ground, to get in there and to not just defend their own villages, towns and cities, but to attack IS fighters where they are.
"If that is not enough then we might have to think the unthinkable and possibly engage Western forces on the ground."
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