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http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/au/Qbritain-balkans-defence.REYr_CSK.html Britain to pull 2,000 troops out of Balkans [Now that the enirety of the Balkans has become a US-NATO military zone - one large Camp Bondsteel - it is being used for troop and equipment training and as a rotation base for deployment of NATO nation states' military forces to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Djibouti, Yemen, Somalia and Kenya for the current war in Southern Asia, the impending war against Iraq, and imminent threats against Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Libya.] -While the troop reduction comes as no surprise, it will fuel rumours that a British force is being prepared to join an eventual US-led military operation against Iraq, according to local media. LONDON, Sept 20 (AFP) - Britain is to pull almost 2,000 troops out of the Balkans, cutting its complement there by more than half by next spring, defence minister Geoff Hoon announced Friday. Britain, which currently has 4,350 troops in the region, will keep some 1, 500 in Bosnia and 900 in the Kosovo capital Pristina, as part of ongoing NATO operations in the region, the defence ministry said in a statement. "This reduction in forces does not signal any reduction in the commitment of either NATO or the UK to the Balkans," the ministry of defence statement said. "Instead it reflects the improved security situation in the Balkans and restructuring to provide a smaller, lighter and more flexible force that will be able to meet current challenges." While the troop reduction comes as no surprise, it will fuel rumours that a British force is being prepared to join an eventual US-led military operation against Iraq, according to local media. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance - Get real-time stock quotes http://finance.yahoo.com --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bacIlu Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
