The reported news that Tony Blair has apologised for mistakes made in planning for the aftermath of the Iraq war is running highly on broadcast news and in print media. It is also being reported that HMS Richmond will start operations in the Mediterranean to help tackle the people smugglers causing the migrant situation across Europe.
HMS Richmond
The BBC and Sky News are reporting that a second Royal Navy ship, HMS Richmond, has been sent to the Mediterranean to help deal with the migrant situation in the region. A UN resolution means the frigate’s crew will have the power to board and seize vessels suspected to be involved in people trafficking. Read about the deployment here. The Defence Secretary Michael Fallon’s comments can be seen below.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:
These new powers are an important step forward. We will now be able to board the boats and detain the smugglers.
Sending HMS Richmond to join HMS Enterprise in the Mediterranean shows Britain’s determination to tackle this trade in human misery at source. We’ll hit the traffickers hard.
RAF Akrotiri
The Sun on Sunday reports that a pair of suspected people smugglers were among the 115 who landed at Akrotiri last week. The paper states that they have been arrested and were in custody last night. Our statement on this can be seen below.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said:
Two male migrants were arrested on Friday on suspicion of facilitating people trafficking. They have been remanded into SBA Police custody while enquiries continue.
Meanwhile the Mail on Sunday reports on what it calls “security frailties”. Our position on these claims can be seen below.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said:
While we will not comment on the detail of our security procedures, we keep them under constant review.
This allows us to ensure that we continue to have robust and established security measures in place. These were not breached during the arrival of the migrants this week.
Security at RAF Akrotiri includes both physical and intelligence driven countermeasures and enhancements are continuously being made.
SSAFA
The Sunday Telegraph reports on the launch of the Armed Forces charity SSAFA’s ‘Left Behind’ campaign to raise funds for families struggling to come to terms with the loss of loved ones in warzones. An editorial commends the campaign and says the country owes these families a debt of gratitude, and also highlights the funding gap that will be created when money from LIBOR fines ceases in December. There is further comment by Air Vice Marshal David Murray who backs the campaign and suggests the outstanding support given to grieving service families following a death can insulate them from the true impact that only hits home later.
Tony Blair
There is wide reporting across print and broadcast media stating that former Prime Minister Tony Blair has apologised for some of the mistakes made during the Iraq war and admitted the conflict may have been a factor in the rise of ISIL. In an interview with CNN to be aired later today, Mr Blair is reported to say that he was sorry that the intelligence that was the basis of the decision to go to war was incorrect, and admitted to mistakes in planning and in considering what would happen once Saddam Hussein was removed from power. However, he refused to apologise for ousting Saddam.
Syria
Russia’s aerial bombardment of Syria in support of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad showed further signs of backfiring last night, according to the Sunday Telegraph, as ISIL forces seized a key supply line into the city of Aleppo. ISIL fighters reportedly cut the highway from the rest of government-held territory on Friday in a significant blow as the regime tries to dislodge rebels from the shattered city. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, said at least 28 ISIL fighters and 21 government troops and allied militia had been killed in the battle for the highway.
Iraq
The Sunday Times reports details of missions flown by US Predator ‘drones’ in Iraq. The article states that for weeks video cameras mounted on the aircraft had been beaming back footage of an ISIL stronghold in northern Iraq. On Wednesday night, however, the American special forces operators realised that something was different. The compound near Hawija in Kirkuk province was the former home of an Iraqi judge. As well as being a headquarters for the terrorist group, it also functioned as a prison where it was believed 17 Kurdish peshmerga fighters were being held. What the Predator footage showed was ominous: Isis fighters were digging large trenches just beyond the compound wall. It appeared that these were mass graves being readied for scores of prisoners to be executed, probably after early morning prayers on Thursday.
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