US Bombers Arrive at British Base for War on Iraq

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, March 04, 2003

US Bombers Arrive at British Base for War on Iraq

US B52 bombers have started to arrive at the British Royal Air Force (RAF) base at Fairford, Gloucestershire, in the southwest of England, as Anglo-American bombing attacks on Iraq intensified.

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US B52 bombers have started to arrive at the British Royal Air Force (RAF) base at Fairford, Gloucestershire, in the southwest of England, as Anglo-American bombing attacks on Iraq intensified.

Two or three American bombers have already landed at the base, a spokesman for the Military of Defense told Xinhua Monday, addingthat the US deployment would be part of the "possible military action" in the Gulf region.

"It is not known how long these bombers would stay at Fairford,but it is confirmed that the aircraft would remain at the base at the moment, and would not go elsewhere," the spokesman said.

Britain last week allowed the United States to fly the bombers into the Fairford base as part of Britain's contribution to possible military action against Iraq, the ministry said.

Up to 13 bombers are expected to arrive at Fairford during the day.

RAF Fairford, a British base used by the US Air Force, was a point of departure for B52 bombers during the 1991 Gulf war and the 1999 Kosovo conflict.

The prospect of American bombers coming to Fairford has inspired weeks of small-scale but vocal protests, led by an anti-war group called the Gloucestershire Weapons Inspectors.

Several people were arrested last weekend after demonstrators broke through the perimeter of the base.

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