Residents in a bucolic corner of south-western England said they were “spooked” by an air base used by the US military in its war against Iran as bomb experts descended on the area on Sept 27.
asserted
experts → say → Sept
Stephanie’s family was one of 85 households evacuated from the village of Whelford, around a mile (1.6km) from the Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford air base, in the early hours of Sept 27 after authorities were alerted to “suspicious vehicles”.
asserted
authorities → evacuate → vehicles
Police have not yet confirmed the nature or source of the threat near the base, but said they arrested five men on suspicion of “preparing a terrorist act”.
asserted
they → confirm → act
Broadcast aerial footage showed a bomb disposal robot moving around the vans.
asserted
robot → show → vans
A resident told British media she had alerted emergency services after seeing three vans blocking a road near the village and a group of men wearing hoods and balaclavas.
asserted
vans → tell → hoods
Villagers were evacuated to a leisure centre in the nearby town of Cirencester, where Stephanie was planning to hunker down for the night with her puppy and two cats as a police cordon remained in place.
asserted
cordon → evacuate → place
“I’m absolutely exhausted,” Stephanie, who didn’t want to share her last name, told AFP, adding the danger of the situation “didn’t quite hit me till now”.
asserted
danger → ’m → me
“It’s quite a lovely, small village.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
It’s a real shame,” said Stephanie.
asserted
Stephanie → ’ → ?
“You don’t expect anything to happen around here.
asserted
anything → expect → ?
It’s just a lovely quaint area of the Cotswolds,” said 20-year-old university student George Currie, who lives in the market town of Cirencester, home to a medieval church and neat rows of limestone houses.
asserted
who → ’ → houses
“I’m sure all the residents of Fairford are quite spooked and jumped about it,” said Currie.
asserted
Currie → ’m → it
“With how important Fairford has been with the air base, I’d be quite scared to live there at the moment.”
asserted
I → live → moment
In March, Britain gave the US permission to use Fairford air base for “specific defensive operations into Iran” to destroy Iranian missiles.
asserted
Britain → give → missiles
Since then, US bombers and other planes have been seen taking off and landing from the airfield.
asserted
bombers → see → airfield
Fairford has previously been used by the US military for operations during the Gulf War and the 2003 Iraq War.
asserted
Fairford → use → War
A dog-walker in Cirencester, who did not want to give his name, said his wife had been “worried about threats to Fairford”.
asserted
wife → want → Fairford
So the news “was like her nightmares have come true,” said the man.
asserted
man → come → ?
Residents said the air base is generally quiet apart from a major annual airshow that brings visitors from several countries.
asserted
that → say → countries
“It’s no trouble at all,” said the dog walker about living near the base.
asserted
walker → ’ → base
“But actually using it as a bomber base is a bit worrying.”
asserted
using → use → base
“Normally, RAF Fairford is very quiet but at the moment, with Epic Fury, that’s changed,” local councillor Tristan Wilkinson told AFP, referring to the US military codename for its attacks on Iran.
asserted
Wilkinson → change → Iran
“The local community and the authorities have had greater vigilance around the base”, in recent months, Wilkinson added.
asserted
Wilkinson → have → months
The interior ministry has previously accused Iran and Russia of using proxies to carry out criminal activities on their behalf on British territory.
asserted
ministry → accuse → territory
“I mean, with everything that’s been going on, with the activity around the air base, something like that is bound to happen,” said 21-year-old Victor Compton.
asserted
Compton → mean → that
“The effects of war reach into the safest parts of the world,” added the university student, saying it was a “bit of a reality check”. AFP
asserted
it → reach → check
The Aporia
