US pulls B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford amid Iran terror threat concerns
The US has withdrawn all B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in England following suspected Iranian-linked terror plots against the base. A Pentagon spokesperson confirmed the redeployment to home stations in the United States.
US withdraws all bombers from RAF Fairford over suspected Iranian threat
The United States has abruptly pulled all of its bombers from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England, following concerns about a potential attack on the base, aljazeera.com reports.
"While operational security precluded us from confirming the movement of our assets and forces in real-time, we can acknowledge now that all US bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford have re-deployed to their home stations in the United States," a Pentagon spokesperson told the outlet.
Roughly a dozen B-1 bombers had been stationed at the base — located approximately 160 kilometres west of London — before the sudden departure, which was first reported on Sunday.
The spokesperson added that American bomber crews "remain ready to deliver precision global strike capabilities – including through operations that launch and recover from the continental United States – anywhere, anytime."
Suspected plots and arrests
The withdrawal follows a series of security incidents centred on the Gloucestershire airbase. On 27 September, UK authorities arrested five men on suspicion of planning to plant explosives near the facility. The men were released without charge the following day after investigators found petrol but no explosive devices in their vehicles. Officials have confirmed they remain under investigation.
On Thursday, British police announced a further arrest: a 25-year-old UK-Iranian dual national detained in London on suspicion of plotting an attack against the airbase.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said last week that "Iran played a part" in the alleged plot, though he declined to elaborate. Iran has denied any involvement and summoned the UK ambassador to Tehran in protest over the arrests.
Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing Vicki Evans said investigators were pursuing multiple lines of enquiry. "We're looking at all possible angles – including possible foreign state involvement," Evans said in a statement.
Trump praises UK response
US President Donald Trump weighed in on the initial arrests, accusing the suspects of seeking to cause "big damage" to American facilities and praising British authorities for their response.
"The arrest in the UK was fantastic. Working with Britain – it was an amazing job. We had them under investigation," Trump said. "We had them under view for a long time, and we got them."
Fairford's role in the Iran conflict
RAF Fairford has served as a staging point for US bombers participating in the conflict against Iran, which began more than seven months ago on 28 February. The base has a long history of hosting American forces during Middle East operations, dating back to the Gulf War in the 1990s.
It is not entirely clear what specific intelligence triggered the redeployment, though the series of suspected plots appears to have been a decisive factor.
The UK government initially resisted American pressure to make its bases available for the conflict, but granted the US "defensive" access to Fairford and RAF Diego Garcia in March. London has largely declined to participate directly in the ongoing war.
The base has previously drawn antiwar protests. In 2003, five demonstrators broke into the facility in an attempt to disable military equipment ahead of the US-led invasion of Iraq.
Despite the pullout of bomber aircraft, the Pentagon emphasised that US strike capabilities remain undiminished, with missions able to launch directly from bases on American soil.
Source: Google News MT