Tag: code-var

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Iraq war planning wholly irresponsible, say senior UK military figures

By Sharon Black

Former chief of defence staff Lord Guthrie criticises Bush administration but says Blair government must also share blame The way Britain was led into war with Iraq 10 years ago was “wholly irresponsible” and the lack of intelligence on the country a national disgrace, senior military figures have told the Guardian. Though they direct their fire principally at the Bush administration, they make clear the Blair government must share a lot of the blame. “It was absolutely irresponsible to go in without thinking of the consequences”, said Lord Guthrie, former chief of defence staff and head of the army.

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SAS sniper Danny Nightingale has gun possession conviction quashed

By Sharon Black

Court of appeal orders retrial after sergeant’s lawyers argue he was put under pressure to plead guilty An SAS sniper has had his convictions for illegally possessing a pistol and ammunition quashed by the court of appeal. Danny Nightingale, 38, of Crewe, Cheshire, had been sentenced to 18 months’ military detention by a judge sitting in a military court in November 2012 after admitting he should not have stored a Glock 9mm pistol and more than 300 rounds of ammunition at his army lodgings.

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Mental health of Iraq and Afghanistan reservists causes alarm

By Sharon Black

Military charities call on Ministry of Defence to provide more support for ‘weekend warriors’ Ministers must find more money to support thousands of army reservists as evidence grows that part-timers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are more likely to suffer from serious mental health illnesses than regular soldiers who served alongside them, two leading military charities are warning. Amid concerns there will be a sharp increase in the overall number of veterans needing expert help over the next five years, the Royal British Legion and Combat Stress say the government must focus on the so-called “weekend warriors” who have become a mainstay of British military operations and will be used to cover deep cuts to the full-time army

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British soldier Michael Maguire was unlawfully killed, inquest rules

By Sharon Black

Authorities focus on alleged safety breaches after ranger was shot while resting in “secure area” in west Wales live-fire range A British soldier who died when he was hit by a machine-gun bullet at a live-firing range in west Wales was unlawfully killed, an inquest jury has ruled. Ranger Michael Maguire, 20, was shot in the head as he relaxed after removing his armour and helmet at the range in Pembrokeshire

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British army will not return to Northern Ireland streets, says Theresa Villiers

By Sharon Black

Northern Ireland secretary rules out deployment of troops to back up police despite upsurge in violence The Northern Ireland secretary, Theresa Villiers, says the British army will not be returning to the Northern Ireland’s streets. The secretary of state ruled out deploying any soldiers to back up the Police Service of Northern Ireland to counter the continued threat from dissident republicans as well as the recent upsurge in loyalist street disorder linked to the union flag protests. Asked if troops might be needed to support the PSNI, Villiers told the BBC Politics Show on Sunday that there was “no prospect” of a military presence on the streets

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Photographs may help explain Iraqi deaths, al-Sweady inquiry hears

By Sharon Black

British troops alleged to have murdered up to 20 prisoners after a fierce battle in May 2004, and tortured five other captives Photographs of dead Iraqis taken by a British army officer after a battle in the south-east of the country may be the key to establishing whether they were killed during that encounter or murdered after being taken prisoner, a public inquiry heard on Tuesday.

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UK to withdraw 11,000 troops from Germany by 2016

By Sharon Black

Defence secretary to announce accelerated pullout, which will require £1bn spend on new UK housing for troops More than 11,000 troops currently based in Germany will return to Britain within three years as part of a major restructuring of the army that will require ministers to spend £1bn on new military homes. The announcement on Tuesday marks a sharp acceleration of the withdrawal of British forces in Germany, which have been stationed there since the end of the second world war.

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Defence secretary: I will resist further cuts

By Sharon Black

Philip Hammond says defending country should be first priority and that savings should be made from benefits bill first The defence secretary, Philip Hammond, has warned that he will resist further cuts to the armed forces in George Osborne’s forthcoming spending review. He told the Daily Telegraph that other Tory cabinet ministers believed the greatest burden of any cuts should fall on the welfare budget.

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Rockets fired at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan

By Sharon Black

Helmand province base comes under attack, but Ministry of Defence says no casualties reported Insurgents have launched a rocket attack on the main coalition military base in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. The heavily fortified Camp Bastion, which accommodates up to 4,000 UK, American, Danish and Estonian troops, was targeted at about 6.30pm local time as darkness fell

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Military staff fear redundancy if they complain about bullying, says report

By Sharon Black

Defence select committee review urges appointment of Armed Forces Ombudsman to oversee cases of victimisation Military personnel have been deterred from making complaints about bullying and victimisation within the armed forces because of fears they will be put in the frontline for redundancy, a report warns today. The problem is another reason why the system for investigating harassment and other abuses should be overhauled and scrutinised by a new Armed Forces Ombudsman working outside the military chain of command, say MPs on the defence select committee.

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Royal Marines murder charges dropped

By Sharon Black

The pair of soldiers were among a group of five due to face accusations of killing a captured Afghan national Murder charges against two Royal Marines accused of killing a captured Afghan national have been dropped, it emerged tonight.

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Two British servicemen shot dead by rogue Afghan soldier, inquest hears

By Sharon Black

Sergeant Luke Taylor and Lance Corporal Michael Foley killed by Afghan National Army soldier with a personal grievance Two British servicemen were shot dead by a rogue Afghan soldier with a personal grievance, their inquest has heard. Sergeant Luke Taylor, 33, of the Royal Marines, and Lance Corporal Michael Foley, 25, of the Adjutant General’s Corps, were killed at their forward operating base in Lashkar Gah on 26 March last year. Their inquest in Oxford heard the Afghan was waiting outside the base with other men to collect a VIP.

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British soldiers protected under human rights law, supreme court told

By Sharon Black

Families challenging ruling that soldiers conducting operations outside their base are not covered by convention British soldiers have the right, enshrined in European human rights law, to expect the government to take all reasonable steps to prevent them getting killed, the supreme court heard on Monday, in a case with profound implications for military commanders and their conduct of future operations. Families of soldiers killed in Iraq by roadside bombs while travelling in vulnerable Land Rovers and by “friendly fire” when in a Challenger tank accuse the Ministry of Defence of breaching the European human rights convention by not providing adequate equipment.

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British and Irish troops to set up infantry training team in Mali

By Sharon Black

Joint operation will be the first time soldiers from the two countries have worked together since Ireland won independence British and Irish troops will be involved in a joint operation for the first time since Ireland won independence after bloody uprisings and civil war. Six Irish soldiers and 21 British will be deployed in Mali to set up an infantry training team led by troops from the 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment, the Ministry of Defence announced on Monday.

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Letters: Blinkered view of the first world war

By Sharon Black

As a historian, I initially wondered whether your report was a Guardian April fool ( Poignant kickabout that captured futility of conflict to be replayed for WW1 centenary , 9 February). Only a specially selected bunch of conservative academics and generals would think of celebrating the military genius that organised the Somme, Passchendaele and Dardanelles campaigns

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Nearly 450 British military drones lost in Iraq and Afghanistan

By Sharon Black

Ministry of Defence releases figures for crashes, breakdowns and missing vehicles, including loss of half of Hermes 450 fleet Almost 450 drones operated by the British military have crashed, broken down or been lost in action during operations in Afghanistan and Iraq over the last five years, figures reveal. The Ministry of Defence has disclosed for the first time the five Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems used in the conflicts and the number that have perished due to pilot error, technical faults or the undesirability of retrieving them from hostile areas. The figures highlight the military’s increasing reliance on technologies that are regarded as a way of minimising risks to frontline troops.