U.K. Opens Persian Gulf Military Base in Bahrain
Britain opened a military base Thursday in the Persian Gulf country of Bahrain, giving the U.K. an expansive presence along key international shipping routes.
Photographer: Phil Weymouth/Bloomberg
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Manama, Bahrain (AP) -- Britain opened its first permanent military base in the Middle East in more than four decades on Thursday in the Persian Gulf country of Bahrain, giving the U.K. an expansive presence along key international shipping routes.
The UK Naval Support Facility can house up to around 500 Royal Navy personnel, including sailors, soldiers and airmen, in a region where maritime security ensures oil shipments and goods make it from Asia to Europe. British officials have described it as the first permanent British base east of the Suez Canal since