Iraq
There is a story in the Independent (p6) which follows yesterday’s widespread reporting of the Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider Abadi interview, in which he says he is planning a major offensive to liberate Mosul. Mr Abadi said the coalition air strikes, to which the UK is the second biggest contributor, had increased in “intensity and quality” in recent weeks.
Libya
Britain should consider putting troops on the ground in Libya, Sir John Sawers has said the Daily Telegraph (p2). The former head of MI6 said the absence of Coalition ground forces had led to the country being exploited be fanatics.
Most papers also cover Egypt and Libya joining forces in revenge for the ISIL beheadings, reporting that Egypt’s intervention is its first full-scale military confrontation abroad since 1973.
The Coalition airstrikes continued yesterday, as 4,000 American troops were assigned to bases in Kuwait. The Independent (p4) says that the US refused to comment on the deployment.
Brunei
The Daily Telegraph (p14) reports that Britain will station troops in Brunei for a further five years to help maintain the armed forces' permanent presence in South Asia. Prime Minister David Cameron renewed the long-standing agreement during a meeting with the Sultan of Brunei at Chequers. The UK currently has around 2,000 personnel based in the country.
Image of the day
![A Royal Navy warship has tracked a Russian frigate off the coast of France and monitored her movement through the English Channel. HMS Argyll, a Type 23 frigate fitted with advanced Artisan radar, used her Lynx helicopter and sensors to locate and monitor the movement of the Russian warship as she returned from a Mediterranean deployment. [Picture: Crown copyright]](https://modmedia.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/142/2015/02/20150217-Russian_Argyll4638.jpg)