A variety of defence stories are covered in the news today, including reporting on BBC outlets that the US commander in charge of air operations over Iraq and Syria, Lt Gen CQ Brown, has said he would welcome Britain’s military involvement in Syria. He said that the ability to strike in both countries gave the coalition more flexibility in putting pressure on ISIL.
Cyprus Migrants
There is continued media interest in the recent arrival of migrants in Cyprus. The Daily Mail's front page claims that a British military base could be used as a “Trojan horse” by a flood of illegal migrants seeking a back door into Britain. However, as the Defence Secretary said yesterday, the UK Government is clear that this will not become a new route of migration into Britain.
The latest Government position can be seen below, as well as a statement from the Defence Secretary Michael Fallon.
A Government spokesperson said:
Work continues to process the migrants who arrived at RAF Akrotiri yesterday, led by the officials from Republic of Cyprus (RoC) who have agreed to process all asylum claims through their system.
While it is important for this work to be carried out as quickly as possible, it will take some time and the migrants will be accommodated overnight within the Sovereign Base Area (SBA) where military personnel will continue to provide them with access to food, water and bedding. There is no effect on military operations.
The UK Government has been clear that it will not allow a new migrant route to open up to the UK. We will continue to work closely with the Cypriot authorities.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:
We have an agreement with the Republic of Cyprus who will now be processing their claims for asylum. We are not going to allow this to become some new route of migration into Britain. That would be the wrong thing to do. We mustn’t encourage even more people to set out on what is a very dangerous route.
We’re not going to allow a new route to open up to Britain and we certainly mustn’t encourage more people to attempt this very long, very dangerous sea crossing. They washed up in Akrotiri almost by accident - there is evidence to suggest they were heading elsewhere in Greece. We are not going to allow a new route to open up.
ISIL
Reporting from RAF Akrotiri, The Times writes that British fast jet pilots have “secretly” trained to launch airstrikes against high-value ISIL targets in Syria in case Parliament votes to authorise an expansion of the mission. The RAF commander leading Britain’s air war, Air Commodore Martin Sampson, said that his Tornado fighter-bombers, currently restricted to hitting the terrorist group in Iraq from an airbase in Cyprus, were ready for the order to start bombing in both countries, according to The Times. ITV News Online writes that the Air Commodore has said his men and women are ready to “take the fight to Syria” and that there would be a “seamless transition” from one country to another.
Find out more about the UK Government’s action to combat ISIL here.
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