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Defence in the media

https://modmedia.blog.gov.uk/2015/12/10/defence-in-the-media-10-december-2015/

Defence in the Media: 10 December 2015

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A variety of Defence stories are featured in the news today.

UK airstrikes 

The Daily Telegraph and The Sun reveal that Britain has killed nearly 400 Daesh terrorists in RAF air strikes in Iraq. The Defence Secretary is quoted in both papers to say that it is important that British armed forces take this action and report that around 154 militants have been struck down by British RAF planes and drones in the last five months alone.

The Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:

Daesh is a brutal terrorist organisation. We have seen British hostages beheaded, British citizens murdered on a beach in Tunisia and it is plotting terror on our streets. That’s why the action our armed forces are taking to combat it is so important.

Iraqi compensation 

There is coverage of yesterday’s Court of Appeal ruling which has barred Iraqi civilians from suing the UK for compensation over alleged mistreatment by British troops after the 2003 invasion in The ExpressThe TimesDaily StarDaily Mail and The Sun. The papers suggest the ruling has immediately been hailed as “a victory for common sense”.

An MOD Spokesperson said:

The Department welcomes the decision of the Court of Appeal as it serves to safeguard taxpayer interests in the face of hundreds of compensation claims which have appeared many years after the alleged incidents to which they refer.

Flooding

Following the flooding in Cumbria and Lancashire, flooding stories continue to feature across the media, with many of the broadcasters looking at how communities are looking to clear up and get back to normal. The Army continues to help Local Authorities with the after effects; 10 teams from the Royal Engineers have completed a triage of 119 critical bridges across the area, and two further specialist teams are providing more detailed reports. Currently a Company from 2LANCS is deployed in Carlisle, conducting search tasks in the town, as well as in Appleby. We are now looking at how the military can help the clean-up operation.

Michael Adebolajo 

The Sun says that Michael Adebolajo, one of the killers of Fuslier Lee Rigby, is suing for compensation after two of his teeth were knocked out in jail. The paper reports that he hopes to receive £20,000 of taxpayers' money.

 

Image: Soldiers from 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancasters Regiment (2 LANCS) helping the emergency services making sure the locals are all accounted for. Photographer: Corporal Lu Scott (RLC) Date December 7, 2015 Reference: 42B/15/097-REF PRIME MINISTER MEETS SOLDIERS IN FLOOD-STRICKEN CUMBRIA Soldiers working to reassure, protect and evacuate communities inundated by the floods in Cumbria were today thanked for their efforts by Prime Minister, David Cameron. Mr Cameron visited troops working in the Warwick Road area of the city where they had been assisting police during an operation to ensure all residents of affected homes were safe and accounted for. Personnel from the 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment (2 LANCS), normally based in Weeton Barracks, Lancashire, have been working since the early hours of Sunday morning on Operation Shaku, the military name for support to civilian authorities giving flood releief in the North West of England. Around 90 soldiers from the Battalion’s Blenheim Company have been assisting Cumbria Police in the evacuation of residents, warning others of what action to take to protect their properties and even delivering supplies to those made homeless by the floods. Lt Col Hamish Cormack, Commanding Officer of 2 LANCS, said: “It’s a great morale boost whenever we get a visit like this. It meant a lot to us that the Prime Minister should come up here and see first hand the kind of work we have been doing in and around Carlisle in support of the civilian authorities. I think it shows that we have been hugely successful in delivering the help that has been asked for.” The Regiment recruits from across the North West of England, including Cumbria. Corporal Joseph Greenwood, 30, and from Carlisle said it’s been good to be able to support his hometown community: “We all want to help and do what we can here. We’re really happy to be asked to assist, we’re soldiers and that’s what we do.”
Image: Soldiers from 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancasters Regiment (2 LANCS) helping the emergency services making sure the locals are all accounted for.

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