MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, Belgian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jose de Pierpont told Sputnik that the country's authorities had decided to extend the mandate of its aerial campaign against terrorists and send its F-16 fighter jets to Syria starting July 1 on request of the US-led international coalition.
"We cannot sit idle in the face of such threats and we beef up security in our country and abroad, since both are more and more inter-linked. However, these actions need to be complemented by further deradicalization efforts in our own countries and cities," Vautmans, member of the parliamentary security and defense subcommittee, said.
She also noted that Belgium was a loyal ally of the EU and NATO partners, working closely in the coalition to defeat Daesh on the ground.
"It means we take responsibility when requested. We see the results on the ground, with a shrinking occupied IS [Daesh] area," Vautmans stressed.
Moreover, the decision to reinforce military response to the actions of the terror group was triggered by March attacks in Brussels, when a series of blasts hit Brussels Airport and a metro station in the center of the city, killing 35 people.
"Nobody can doubt that after the attacks in Brussels, there is ample ground for co-operation with the allies to defeat IS," Vautmans added.
In early March, Belgian media reported that Washington formally requested Belgium to participate in airstrikes on the Daehs positions in Syria.
Daesh, a group outlawed in Russia, the United States and many other countries, seized vast territories in Iraq and neighboring Syria.
