Tag: military

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UK would jeopardise military standing by leaving EU, says German minister

By Sharon Black

Thomas de Maizière says David Cameron seems not to have recognised profound defence implications of move Britain’s standing as a leading military power with the ability to influence events beyond its own borders will be jeopardised if the country leaves the European Union, the German minister of defence has warned. In an interview with the Guardian , Thomas de Maizière insisted the defence implications for Britain, Europe and Nato would be profound, and said this was an aspect of the argument David Cameron did not appear to have recognised.

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British holidaymaker pleads guilty to killing UK soldier in Cyprus

By Sharon Black

Mohammed Abdulkadir Osman, 19, admits manslaughter of Fusilier David Lee Collins, 19, in Ayia Napa A British tourist has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of a UK soldier in Cyprus, a court official has said. Fusilier David Lee Collins, 19, from Manchester, was stabbed to death after a fight broke out in a nightclub in the popular resort of Ayia Napa, last November. Mohammed Abdulkadir Osman, 19, reportedly from London, admitted manslaughter at a court hearing in Larnaca, Photini Larcou, registrar of the court, said.

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Afghan interpreters could be offered relocation to Britain

By Sharon Black

David Cameron expected to make decision on Tuesday affecting up to 1,100 Afghans who risked lives working with UK forces Hundreds of Afghan interpreters who have risked their lives working with UK forces in Helmand province could be offered relocation to Britain this week when David Cameron reviews the issue at a meeting of the National Security Council. The prime minister has been given three broad options and is expected to make a decision on Tuesday that could affect up to 1,100 Afghan nationals – including more than 600 interpreters, who could be in grave danger from reprisals once Nato forces have left Afghanistan in 2014

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Is The Exorcist the scariest film ever?

By Sharon Black

Readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific concepts What’s the scariest film, ever – The Exorcist? I once went to a showing of The Exorcist at a cinema in Southampton.

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The Falklands funeral: how Margaret Thatcher’s military legacy was reflected

By Sharon Black

All regiments involved in funeral for former prime minister had link to south Atlantic conflict Lady Thatcher wanted her funeral to have a Falklands theme, and though no details were thrashed out before her death, the Ministry of Defence had a good idea which units would have to be involved when the planning for the ceremony began. All of the regiments taking part played an important role during the conflict in the south Atlantic – a reflection of the fact that their sacrifices, and successes, underpinned the former prime minister’s significant military legacy.

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Thatcher funeral to match theatre of Churchill’s – but differences are stark

By Sharon Black

While the pomp will be similar to 1965, the crowd reaction to this non-state event is unlikely to be as united It was, Patrick O’Donovan noted in the Observer , as if “the City was stopped and was turned into a theatre, and it was all performed as a drama that all men understand”. The funeral cortege moved slowly from the Palace of Westminster to St Paul’s cathedral, through packed streets lined with silent troops, “their heads bowed over their automatic rifles in ceremonious grief”.

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Anti-Trident campaigners blockade naval base

By Sharon Black

Protesters chain themselves to gates at Faslane after calling for Trident budget to fund welfare, education and health instead Police have arrested 47 people protesting outside a naval base where nuclear weapons are stored. Campaigners chained themselves to each other and blocked the entrance of the Faslane base in Argyll, home of the UK’s Trident nuclear weapons. The Scrap Trident coalition wants Scotland to be allowed to “lead the way to a world free of nuclear weapons” and more than 100 of its supporters demonstrated outside the base.

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Afghanistan civilian casualties

By Sharon Black

Annual Afghan casualty figures have fallen for the first time since the invasion. How many people have died? • British dead and wounded in Afghanistan, month by month • Get the Afghan civilian casualties data A NATO airstrike on Monday left 11 Afghan civilians (10 of whom were children) dead

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Thatcher funeral’s military pomp raises concerns at Buckingham Palace

By Sharon Black

Questions raised over appropriateness of such a divisive figure being escorted on her final journey by military honours Ken Livingstone: throw out the myths about Margaret Thatcher Russell Brand: I always felt sorry for her children Gary Younge: the Iron Lady is dead but Thatcherism lives on Margaret Thatcher’s legacy: roundup of the best writing Buckingham Palace raised concerns about the ceremonial funeral with military honours for Lady Thatcher that is to be attended on Wednesday by the Queen and more than 2,000 guests including every surviving British prime minister, the Guardian understands. As invitations were sent out to world leaders, including all surviving US presidents and Hillary Clinton, it emerged that concerns were expressed at the highest levels about whether it is appropriate for such a controversial figure to be escorted on her final journey by more than 700 military personnel

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Afghanistan’s future after Nato troops leave uncertain, admits Hammond

By Sharon Black

Afghans will determine their own fate, says defence secretary, as MPs warns country could descend into civil war within years The defence secretary has admitted that no one can predict what will happen to Afghanistan after British, US and other Nato troops end their frontline role there at the end of 2014, and stressed that only the Afghan people can find a lasting solution to the country’s violence, corruption and lawlessness. Philip Hammond’s remarks came as the Commons cross-party defence committee warned that Afghanistan could descend into civil war within a few years and suggests that the British government’s attitude towards the country is one of simply hoping for the best. Hammond told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the UK had intervened in Afghanistan to protect its national security and had never intended to stay for a protracted period

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MPs fear Afghan civil war after troops leave

By Sharon Black

Commons committee criticises British government’s attitude towards Afghanistan as simply ‘hoping for the best’ Afghanistan could descend into civil war within a few years of British, US and other Nato troops ending their frontline role there at the end of 2014, the Commons cross-party defence committee warned on Wednesday. The committee suggested that the British government’s attitude towards Afghanistan was one of simply hoping for the best, since it would have little influence over the country’s future

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David Cameron warns Trident needed as deterrent to North Korea

By Sharon Black

UK should not be left defenceless against “highly unpredictable and aggressive” regime that threatens UK, says prime minister David Cameron has warned against abandoning Britain’s Trident nuclear submarine programme, claiming it would be foolish to do so due to the threats posed by North Korea. The prime minister said the country should not be left defenceless when the “highly unpredictable and aggressive” regime in North Korea was developing ballistic missiles that he claimed could threaten Europe. Writing in the Daily Telegraph,, Cameron said the UK needed to maintain the ultimate deterrent as much today as during the cold war

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Trident: the nuclear jobcentre | Richard Norton-Taylor

By Sharon Black

Treating Trident as an employment scheme will leave Britain ill equipped for the real threat: terrorism Fifty years ago this week Britain signed an agreement whereby its ability to fire nuclear weapons became entirely dependent on the US. Under the Polaris Sales Agreement , heralded as a pillar of the “special relationship”, the US agreed to supply Britain with nuclear ballistic missiles, their launch tubes, and their fire control system. Britain would build the submarines at Barrow and, with US help, the nuclear warheads at Aldermaston.

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Labour is right to support Trident | Angela Smith and John Woodcock

By Sharon Black

A nuclear disarmament policy might look fine on a Lib Dem leaflet but it would cost our party and the country dear As the next election gets closer, a steady stream of commentators have speculated that Labour could go back to the days of advocating unilateral nuclear disarmament by abandoning the programme to build the new submarines that will carry Britain’s deterrent . Some hope Ed Miliband will be different to the succession of Labour leaders who believed unilateralism would leave the UK more vulnerable to a future nuclear threat while doing precious little to advance the vitally important cause of global non-proliferation and disarmament.

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Make or break time for Afghan forces as Nato prepares to take step back

By Sharon Black

‘We will not let them fail,’ says British commander, before local troops take lead role in fighting Taliban insurgency British commanders have warned that the war against the Taliban is entering its most critical phase as Afghanistan’s security forces prepare to fight the insurgency on their own for the first time without Nato troops alongside them on the frontline. President Hamid Karzai is expected to announce that the Afghan army and police will shortly take the lead in combat operations across the whole of Afghanistan, and senior officers interviewed by the Guardian said the next six months – known as the “fighting season” – would show if the bold strategy had paid off

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Why I’ll be protesting against a Trident replacement at Aldermaston | Natalie Bennett

By Sharon Black

The cost of replacing a dangerous and immoral nuclear missile system could pay for green jobs and university places On Easter Monday – or April Fools’ Day, depending on your preference – I am joining people from all areas of Britain to protest against one of the coalition’s greatest potential follies. Thousands of people, including Green party MEP Keith Taylor , members of CND and I, will be at Aldermaston for a protest rally against the Trident nuclear weapons system and its suggested replacement.

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British dead and wounded in Afghanistan, month by month

By Sharon Black

What is the human cost of the war in Afghanistan for British forces? As British troop deaths reach 441, these are the latest figures – including the most recent wounded and amputation statistics • Get the data • Amputation statistics explainer • Afghanistan civilian casualties • Interactive guide With the latest deaths caused by the war in Afghanistan, the total number of British troop fatalities during the conflict now stands at 441. The number of British deaths in Afghanistan is now much higher than Iraq and even the Falklands conflict .

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UK search and rescue sell-off hits turbulence

By Sharon Black

Minister says Bristow will deliver first-class service but critics air doubts about US company’s takeover from RAF and navy The transfer of the UK’s search and rescue service from the military to a Texas-based helicopter company has been criticised by residents of coastal communities, politicians from all the main parties and rescue experts. From 2016 Bristow Helicopters, part of the global Bristow Group, will take over the helicopter search and rescue (SAR) service from the RAF and navy.

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Afghanistan car bomb attack injures 10 British troops

By Sharon Black

One of the injured soldiers is airlifted to Camp Bastion after blast and gun battle in which five insurgents are killed At least 10 British troops have been injured in a suspected suicide car bomb attack on a patrol base in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. The insurgents followed up the blast with small arms fire on the base in Nad Ali, one of the districts where UK troops have been based during their time in the country. Five insurgents were killed in the attack on the base on Monday night, which is jointly operated by the Afghan army and troops from Nato’s International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf).