All 12 US B-1 Bombers Leave RAF Fairford and Return to the United States
All twelve US Air Force B-1 Lancer bombers deployed to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire have left the base and returned to the United States, the BBC and the Daily Mail reported on 5 October.
According to France's Le Monde, President Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal on 4 October, citing 'Iran-related threats'. RAF Fairford is one of the US military's most important forward bomber bases in Europe, and the timing of the deployment and withdrawal has drawn attention amid concern over the Middle East.
Days before the departure, the base was at the centre of a security incident: on 27 September a van loaded with petrol canisters was found near the base, and seven men — six British citizens and one British-Iranian — were arrested, then released on bail without charge. Police have not confirmed any link between the incident and the bomber deployment.
The B-1 is one of the US Air Force's principal supersonic strategic bombers, capable of delivering precision-guided conventional weapons over long ranges. The UK Ministry of Defence did not comment in detail on the withdrawal.
Sources: BBC and Daily Mail reporting of 5 October; Le Monde retrospective.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 美军B-1B“枪骑兵”轰炸机，公共领域（Wikimedia Commons）
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