AN RAF drone strike killed British jihadis Reyaad Khan and Ruhul Amin in Syria to stop them launching an atrocity on British streets, David Cameron said yesterday.
The PM told the Commons he ordered the killing of the IS pair in “an act of self-defence” because they were “seeking to orchestrate specific and barbaric attacks”.
He said: “My first duty as Prime Minister is to keep the British people safe. This government does not for one moment take these decisions lightly.
“But I am not prepared to stand here in the aftermath of a terrorist attack on our streets and have to explain to the House why I did not take the chance to prevent it when I could have.”
The MI6-run strike came after three months of planning.
The PM authorised it in May after Khan was found to be behind plots to attack London commemorations of Anzac Day and VE Day — both involving the Queen.
Khan, 21, from Cardiff, and Amin, 26, from Aberdeen, were killed along with a third IS fighter when a Hellfire missile struck their vehicle on August 21.
A third British jihadi, 21-year-old Junaid Hussain from Birmingham, was killed in Syria three days later in a US air strike that was part of the same intelligence operation.
In the Commons yesterday Mr Cameron rounded angrily on left-wing MPs who protested that the drone strike was “an extra-judicial killing.”
He said: “There was a terrorist directing murder on our streets and there was no other means to stop him. What were we left with, throw up our arms and walk away?”
It is believed Khan and Hussain were also targeting summer commemorations including Armed Forces Day and VJ Day.
The RAF communications centre GCHQ waited weeks for Khan to leave the IS stronghold of Raqqa so he could be targeted with minimal risk to civilians.
The RAF strike was the first ever targeted killing outside of a war zone.
The Prime Minister said the attacks were fully legal and had been sanctioned by the Attorney General.
He also told MPs that MI5 and counter-terrorism police have stopped a total of six IS-led plots to attack Britain in the last 12 months.
Acting Labour leader Harriet Harman demanded the Prime Minister order an independent investigation into the drone order and publish the Attorney General’s advice.
MI6 and GCHQ had attempted to keep tabs on Khan and Hussain after they left Britain to fight for IS in Syria more than a year ago.
They became priority targets after it emerged they were successfully recruiting impressionable young British Muslims over the internet.
Amin’s assets were frozen by the Government in July last year after it was discovered he was also with IS in Syria.
RAF Reaper drones have been flying reconnaissance missions over Syria since September but had not previously fired.
Sources yesterday said RAF spy planes and Special Forces on the ground had helped locate Khan and Amin.
Spy planes operating out of the United Arab Emirates are able to eavesdrop on IS fighters’ phone calls and radio messages.
It is believed Khan and Amin were pinpointed from their calls. Sentinel spy planes flying from Cyprus are also said to have used advanced surveillance gear to track the vehicle the pair were in.
Once the targets were positively identified a Reaper drone armed with a laser-guided Hellfire missile was zeroed in.
The drones are based in Kuwait but piloted by crews in a “cockpit” inside a shipping container housed in a hangar at RAF Waddington, Lincs.
They were able to watch the car travelling on the road before selecting the perfect moment to strike.
SAS troops are also said to be on the ground gathering “human intelligence.” British Special Forces are part of a new US-led mission in Syria to target leading IS figures.
The SAS and British intelligence officers are understood to be sharing information with the Americans to help find those on a list of targets.
British IS executioner Mohammed Emwazi, nicknamed Jihadi John, is said to be top of the hit list.
A senior Whitehall source, said: “Everyone wants to whack that guy.
“Now he knows what to expect if he ever comes out of hiding.”
A squadron of SAS soldiers is also thought to be operating in Iraqi Kurdistan. They are with the Kurdish peshmerga forces fighting IS militants.
Yesterday’s drone revelation comes as Mr Cameron prepares to ask the Commons to expand RAF bombing sorties against IS into Syria.
Currently the RAF has permission to attack only IS in Iraq.
France yesterday announced its jets will join the coalition against IS. They will carry out reconnaissance flights.
Spooks stop six plots
DAVID Cameron yesterday revealed that our security services have foiled six suspected IS-inspired UK plots in the past year.
They include four men allegedly planning a drive-by shooting of police and soldiers.
Three men were arrested over a plot to behead a cop. A third alleged plan involved a 7/7-style bombing.
And a delivery driver was charged with planning a Lee Rigby-style attack on US servicemen.
Two more suspected plots have not resulted in any arrests.