IGNORING Isis will help them grow in strength like the Nazis, according to Colonel Richard Kemp.

Massacres in France, Lebanon and Mali have increased calls for not only air strikes but ground troops in Syria.

Colonel Kemp CBE, 56, commanded British forces in Afghanistan in 2003.

Gazette: Campaign: Colonel Richard Kemp. Picture: STEVE BRADING (TPJ3C)

He was chairman of the Cobra committee and part of the joint intelligence committee.

The retired commander spent 29 years in the British Forces and lives in Essex. And he fears doing nothing now could have devastating consequences.

He said: “I think it is undesirable to deploy British ground forces in Syria or Iraq at present.

“The preferred option would be regional forces doing that. But if it doesn’t work we have no choice but to deal with it ourselves. We cannot defeat Isis with air strikes.

“Even with the increased precision it is not feasible to deal with them like that.”

Prime Minister David Cameron is calling for the UK to begin air strikes on Syria, extending the air strikes in Iraq.

If UK troops are sent in on the ground it will be Colchester’s 16 Air Assault Brigade who will lead the attack.

Colchester Garrison is home to battalions of paratroopers with Second and Third Battalion sharing the rapid reaction role, currently with 2 Para and support units.

The high readiness unit is the first line of deployment.

Col Kemp hopes it doesn’t come to that and hopes those countries closest to Syria can tackle the problem with support, but, if that doesn’t happen, then doing nothing is not an option according to the experienced former soldier.

He said: “The idea the United Nations could lead this is not viable. It could be a Nato operation.

“Co-operation with Russia is problematic because Russia is allied with Iran which is as great a threat. But while it is problematic to ally with Russia we would at least have to co-ordinate because Russia are calling the shots in Syria.”

Colonel Kemp was in charge in Afghanistan when the UK began ground offences following the terror attacks in New York.

He said: “There are parallels although it is not exactly the same as Al-Qaeda.

“People say it is exactly what Isis wants us to do, to go and fight them in Syria, but I don’t really care what they want. We need to be aware of the danger.

“If we don’t confront the problem. or play around with air strikes not that seriously. things will get worse.

“I would suggest we have not got the political will to confront the problem at present which is very dangerous.

“As in the Second World War appeasement to the Nazis made the situation worse than if we had confronted it in the beginning.

“Doing nothing could allow them to grow and flourish and make the situation worse.”

Col Kemp firmly believes far more action is needed now, but is dubious whether anything significant will happen, even after the attacks in Paris.

“I am sceptical. Memories are short,” he said. “A lot of the anger and calls for action by the media will lessen because something else will come up. People will become apathetic, so I amnot confident the Paris attack has changed things significantly – look at the July 2005 attacks.”

He said he understands the decisions are difficult for politicians and accepts even ground offensives will not solve the problem, but claims they will limit it.

He said: “Ground offensives could result in the destruction of Isis but something else will take its place. The problem will go on for generations. But we have to do everything we can to contain it.

“The most important thing is we do not show weakness. Weakness is the best friend of extremism.

“We need to show strength against them. Bullies sense weakness.

Politicians want to do what is best for the country, but they have an eye on their own legacy.

“The whole country is paralysed to an extent by what happened in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The greatest mistake in Iraq was withdrawing Western forces.”

Colonel Kemp also believes, despite the country having among the best security services, there is a risk of an attack on British soil.

“Three thousand people in the UK are involved with Isis,” he claimed.

“450 have come back from Iraq and Syria with blood on their hands making them more effective.

“Even police forces and intelligence services with unlimited resources would find it impossible to protect against all threats.”