Now you see it...

How crafty!  A couple of years ago Parliament voted against taking any military action in Syria. Whatever your views on the subject, you would think that that was decisive, and that no UK forces would take part in any action in Syria without a new vote approving such a move.  The Prime Minister and the Defence Secretary have both been making noises recently suggesting that they will ask Parliament for such approval - but now we learn that UK forces have in fact been involved in air strikes in Syria.  So what's going on?  Well in a ploy worthy of one of those clever street magicians, those involved are doing so not as UK forces, but as personnel "embedded" in the forces of other countries - notably the US.  And, as the Ministry of Defence explains, "when embedded, UK personnel are effectively operating as foreign troops".  Fiendishly clever, no??