US Air Force B-52 bombers began landing in Britain Monday, with 14 expected throughout the day as part of preparations for a possible war with Iraq, the government said. Britain last week gave the United States permission to fly the bombers into the Royal Air Force's Fairford base in western England as part of Britain's contribution to possible military action in the Gulf, the Ministry of Defense said. Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon told the House of Commons that 14 of the bombers plus support personnel were arriving. There are no B-52s regularly based in Britain, the Ministry said. It wouldn't say whether the bombers would stay in Britain or head to a British base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. The Ministry last week said it expected B-52s to come to Britain, but hadn't given a date for their arrival. B-52 bombers have used Diego Garcia as a base for operations in Afghanistan, where they were used to pound suspected enemy positions.
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