1000 troops to return from Iraq by Christmas

Sky News reports.
On a visit to Baghdad, Gordon Brown said he believed that Basra province could be handed over to full Iraqi control within the next two months.
“I believe that by the end of the year British troops can be reduced to 4,500,” he said “That releases 1,000 of our troops and hopefully they will [...]

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Soldier died protecting his friends

No greater love than this than a man lay his life down for his friends.
He died fighting to protect other Grenadiers…there is a no more selfless act a soldier can perform
Lt Col Carew Hatherley
BBC:

A British soldier shot dead at a checkpoint in southern Afghanistan has been named as Guardsman Simon Davison.
The 22-year-old, who grew up [...]

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the heart of darkness – better news regarding the Royal Marines

It’s been so disappointing and disheartening to read of the Iranian/British hostage situation over the last several days that I’ve not been inspired to write a spot.

Now this is what I like to see.
Marines swoop into Taliban ‘heart of darkness’ – Daily Telegraph.
By Tom Coghlan in Sangeen, Afghanistan
Last Updated: 12:44am BST 07/04/2007
An armoured column of [...]

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Iran exposes Britain’s weakness

I’d referred before to Leading Seaman Faye Turney’s plight, and the fact that she’s not onlly been forced to wear hajib, but she’s been forced to write these letters of apology. It is doubtful that she was the one who originally penned them, for numerous reasons.
But that’s not the reason for this post. [...]

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Never retreat. Never surrender.

Many Iranians, according to the BBC, are ‘proud’ of the standoff situation over the British hostages. Isn’t that precious. The media say ‘hundreds’ are throwing rocks and firecrackers. But it would appear by the media’s reports that the numbers are greater than hundreds. Naturally, they are angry at the evil Britain [...]

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Captured sailors timeline

March 23
# Iranian warships seize 15 Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines off the Iraqi coast after the party from HMS Cornwall carries out a routine search of a cargo ship in the northern Persian Gulf.
# The Ministry of Defence insists the sailors were in Iraqi territorial waters at the time.
March 24
# Tehran-based Fars news [...]

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Sadly, Britain is impotent

Britain’s Impotence, by Arthur Herman.
On March 7, it learned that Tony Blair’s Labor government was going ahead with drastic cuts in its budget and number of ships. By this time next year, the once-vaunted Royal Navy will be about the size of the Belgian Navy, while its officers face a five-year moratorium on all promotions.
We’ve [...]

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British sailors taken by Iranian revolutionary guards navy

royalnavy.mod.uk
Fifteen British sailors from the HMS Cornwall were captured by Iranians as the Britons were conducting routine ship inspections in Iraqi territorial waters.
This is abou the rather surprising Iranian seizure at gunpoint of British RIVs and fifteen British sailors (courtesy here Ireland Online). The sailors and equipment were taken by a ‘radical Iranian force’ [...]

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Bin Laden wants Prince Harry

This was sent to me this morning. The MI6 have discovered that Bin Laden has put a price on Prince Harry’s head, saying they want him ‘dead or alive’, should he be sent to Iraq. Britain should be well aware of the propaganda value of capturing a prize like Prince Harry, thus, doing [...]

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We want to work with the American army for a longer time

“Tell the American people we need the US Army here. We want to work with them for a longer time. And in the future we can say that we have built the Iraqi Army together.”
That is what the Iraqis are saying. So where is the disconnect?
There is something significantly wrong with an American Congress [...]

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