MOSCOW, September 10 (RIA Novosti) – The British military are considering setting up three military bases in the Persian Gulf to fight the Islamic State (ISIS), The Times reported Wednesday, citing a source at the UK Ministry of Defence.
"You could see an infantry battalion based in al-Minhad, being able to train alongside the Emirates," the source told The Times.
According to the source, an infantry battalion could be sent to Al-Minhad in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The British might also use a training base in Oman and enlarge the port in Bahrain, used by the Royal Navy, to accommodate bigger warships.
The UK had been considering an increase in its military presence in the region for a while, Professor Michael Clarke, director of the Royal United Services Institute think-tank said, as reported by The Times.
The IS insurgent group, previously known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS or ISIL), has been fighting the Syrian government since 2012.
In 2014, the organization launched an offensive on Iraq, capturing vast areas in the north of the country, proclaiming an Islamic caliphate on the territories under its control. The Islamic State has killed thousands of Shiites, Christians, and Yazidis, and forced thousands of people to flee territories captured by jihadists. Many women and children are being held captive and are kept in concentration camps.
