U.S. Military Withdraws Aircraft from British Air Force Base Again

Reference News Network reported on November 13 According to AFP on November 10, after flight tracking data showed that the United States had withdrawn at least a dozen aircraft from a second British air force base, the U.S. military stated on the 10th that it is taking "coordinated and appropriate" security measures.

According to The Wall Street Journal, due to threats from Iran, the U.S. military withdrew tankers and other aircraft from RAF Mildenhall in eastern England on the 9th.

The report cited informed sources as saying that U.S. officials are still "assessing" the "specific nature" of the Iranian threats.

A spokesperson for U.S. European Command declined to discuss "specific troop protection measures."

The spokesperson said, "We are working closely with our host nation allies, and both Mildenhall and Lakenheath bases remain on alert." The latter is another British air force base located near Mildenhall.

The spokesperson also stated, "We are taking coordinated and appropriate actions to ensure the safety of U.S. personnel, U.S. and host nation civilians, contractors, and all families."

Just weeks before the U.S. military withdrew aircraft from Mildenhall, several B-1 bombers were withdrawn from RAF Fairford. President Trump stated that the reason for the withdrawal was an unspecified threat related to Iran.

This base, located in southwestern England, experienced a security incident in September, with Prime Minister Burnham stating that the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps "was almost certainly the mastermind behind it."

Seven people were arrested on suspicion of plotting this incident, including an individual with dual British and Iranian nationality. Prosecutors charged two of them last month with endangering national security.

RAF Mildenhall is home to the U.S. Air Force's 100th Air Refueling Wing, which operates KC-135 Stratotankers, AC-130J Ghostriders, and V-22 Ospreys.

Flight tracking data analyzed by AFP shows that since early on the 9th, at least 10 tankers and 3 Ospreys have left the base.

Data from Sweden's 24-hour flight tracking network and the U.S. flight navigation system company shows that one tanker was transferred to an air force base in Scotland, three were transferred to Morón Air Base in Spain, and four were transferred to Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

The Ospreys were transferred to Lakenheath base, about 10 kilometers from Mildenhall.

Flight tracking data shows that one U.S. transport aircraft landed at Mildenhall earlier on the 10th, the only aircraft to arrive at the base in the past 24 hours. However, this aircraft departed around 11 a.m. GMT.

Burnham's official spokesperson insisted that the British air force base is secure. The spokesperson said at the daily briefing, "We are working closely with the police and allies to protect our facilities." He also stated that the UK is "continuously assessing security measures to defend national security."

According to an Associated Press report on November 10, an indictment released on the 10th shows that a man detained in New York on terrorism charges had passed secret information to Iranian agents, who planned to attack a British air force base used by the U.S. Air Force.

This new indictment provides new clues to an incident that has been shrouded in mystery since September 27. At that time, three suspicious vans were found driving toward a British air force base where U.S. bombers were stationed, and several men were arrested for possessing suspected explosives and supporting terrorism.

The new indictment accuses Muhammad Bagher Saadi, who holds dual Iranian and Iraqi nationality, of being involved in planning the attack on Fairford base, although he was arrested earlier this spring and is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. According to prosecutors, Saadi used coded language to convey messages during phone and video calls with his mother and sister in Iraq, inciting accomplices to create explosions at the air force base.

Two other men have also been indicted in this case, with the indictment alleging that Iranian-backed operatives planned nearly 20 terrorist attacks against Jewish communities in Europe and the United States. Both men are currently not in U.S. custody.

RAF Fairford, located about 100 miles (approximately 160 kilometers) west of London, has been used by U.S. bombers during conflicts in the Middle East for decades. (Translated by Hu Guanghe and Yang Xinpeng)