London: Emergency bases for British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Cabinet
colleagues are being set up outside London to keep Britain operational in the event
of a terrorist attack in the capital, even as troops' build-up is on for a possible
attack on Iraq.
Blair, his key officials and senior ministers will be moved to an "alternative seat
of government" with nuclear bunkers, top security and good communications system.
The disclosure came on March 4 as Home Secretary David Blunkett announced that the
government would soon stage a huge exercise "simulating a catastrophic incident" in
the capital.
It would involve a mock chemical weapons attack on the London Underground near Bank
station in the city on March 23.
The prospect of Britain at war on the home as well as international front was
painted as the civil emergency plans were unveiled and American B52 bombers landed
at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire as part of the build-up for conflict with Iraq.
The bombers, used in the first Gulf conflict and in Kosovo, flew in as coalition
aircraft stepped up their activity in the no-fly zones over Iraq, including claimed
strikes against surface-to-surface missile units. It prompted the Conservatives to
declare that the opening shots of the second Gulf war had been fired.
Until recently only 21 RAF aircraft were involved in Operation Resinate, the
longstanding mission to protect the Kurds in the North and Shias in the South from
Iraqi attacks. Now the figure has reached about 60 and will soon be 100.
PTI
