Defence news today includes the campaign against Daesh, drugs tests in the Armed Forces, and a plan to reduce smoking at the Defence Medical Services site in Shropshire.
It is also reported that the Supreme Court is expected to rule this week in the case of Serdar Mohammed who has brought a legal action against the MOD for his 106 day detention.
Counter-Daesh Operations
The Independent reports that up to 30 civilians have allegedly been killed in a US-led air strike targeting a Daesh commander in Mosul. The Coalition is investigating the reports. Scotland on Sunday reports that Iraqi forces have retaken three of Mosul’s five bridges in the south-east of the city, while also making progress in the north east in the grounds of Mosul university.
Drug testing
The Sun claims that there is a rising number of positive drugs tests in the Armed Forces. The piece claims that hundreds have been ‘sacked’ after testing positive, whilst others are awaiting disciplinary hearings arising from the services’ zero-tolerance policy.
An MOD spokesperson said:
We conduct compulsory drug tests because substance misuse is incompatible with service life - only around 0.3% of the armed forces fail them and anyone who falls short of our high standards can expect to be disciplined.
SMOKING
The Mail on Sunday claims that a plan to ban smoking at the Defence Medical Services site in Shropshire has been blocked.
An MOD spokesperson said:
A ban is not in place, but we encourage healthy lifestyles, so the Surgeon General plans to pilot ways to reduce smoking at the site to promote the Smokefree agenda which exists across defence and the nation.
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