Breaking news
British Army to establish first permanent military base in the Middle East.
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Defence & Security News - United Kingdom |
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| Monday, December 8, 2014 10:39 AM | |||
| British Army to establish first permanent military base in the Middle East | |||
Bahrain
will host the first permanent British military base in the Middle East
as part of a deal to increase cooperation in tackling security threats
in the Middle East, the BBC reported. Bahrain will pay most of the £15m
($23m) needed to build the base, with the British paying ongoing costs.
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Britain is
to establish its first permanent military base in the Middle East since
it formally withdrew from the region in 1971 |
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The
deal “reaffirms our joint determination to maintain regional
security and stability in the face of challenging circumstances,”
Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid said Saturday, Agence France-Presse
reported.
The country is part of a U.S.-led coalition carrying out airstrikes on the extremist group, which has carved out vast areas of control in Syria and Iraq. “Bahrain looks forward to the early implementation of today’s arrangement, and to continuing to work with the UK and other partners to address threats to regional security,” Sheikh Khalid said. The agreement, reached at the annual Manama Dialogue in Bahrain, means Britain will have a place to plan and store equipment and will be able to add to the four mine-hunter warships currently based in Mina Salman Port. “This new base is a permanent expansion of the Royal Navy’s footprint and will enable Britain to send more and larger ships to reinforce stability in the Gulf,” said defense secretary Michael Fallon. “We will now be based again in the Gulf for the long term.” |
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