NEWS IN BRIEF
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EUROPE
06 May 09. Iraq: OP TELIC. The Memorial Wall displaying the names of the 179 British Service personnel who died whilst on OP TELIC
[OP TELIC 1 to OP TELIC 13] has been dismantled by Royal Engineers from 37 Armoured Engineer Squadron. Elements of the wall are to be incorporated in a new memorial to be built in the UK. (MoD, 6 May 09.)
Comment: According to the MoD Press Office (4 May 09): “Some of the last British troops to leave Iraq will be four-legged….”. (RAF dog handlers are handing over their duties to their US counterparts.) (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 09/19, 11 May 09)
07 May 09. Afghanistan: OP HERRICK. Four soldiers were killed on 7 May 09. A Corporal from 3rd Bn The Royal Regiment of Scotland was shot while on patrol near Woqab. A Rifleman from 2nd Bn The Rifles was killed as a result of an explosion near Sangin. A Sergeant from the Royal Military Police and a Corporal from 1st Bn The Royal Gurkha Rifles were killed by a suicide bomber in Gereshk. UK deaths since the start of Operations in October 2001 thus rose to 157, of whom 128 were killed as a result of hostile action. (MoD, 7 May 09.)
The UK is building a support centre in Camp Bastion to repair, overhaul and update military vehicles. (Defense News, 4 May 09.)
The Afghan Artillery Company has been trained by a team from The Royal School of Artillery and from 40 Regiment, Royal Artillery. (MoD, 5 May 09.)
19 Combat Service Support Battalion, Royal Logistic Corps is to be relieved by The Queen’s Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment in September 2009. (MoD, 6 May 09.)
As at 29 Apr 09, there were some 300 UK civilian contractors stationed in Afghanistan supporting UK Operations. (Written Answer, 7 May 09.)
Comment: Many Afghan civilians were said to have been killed in US air raids in Western Afghanistan on
4/5 May 09. A US military spokesman said (8 May 09) that reports of 147 civilians having been killed were “extremely over exaggerated”. Whatever the facts, one commentator has noted that: “The continuing toll in civilian casualties has been a principal factor in turning many Afghans against the war to defeat the Taliban.”. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 09/19, 11 May 09)
12 May 09. Gordon Brown is set to sign off on the UK’s latest order of Eurofighter Typhoon jets, but is still examining options on how to contain production costs. Following an intervention by Lord Mandelson, business secretary, the British prime minister has ruled out cancelling the order because of the cost to jobs and the UK’s reputation. A final decision on the details of the contract payments and production timetable is expected within days, with key cabinet ministers scheduled to meet Mr Brown on Thursday. Backing for the programme came as unemployment in the first quarter jumped by the most since 1981, leaving 2.22m people unemployed. The move will end months of speculation over the future of the four-nation programme. Mr Brown has come under intense pressure from the leaders of Germany, Italy and Spain – the UK’s programme par