Rupert Wieloch

Associated Press is reporting that 5 people have been killed in Benghazi, increasing the challenges for the Government of National Accord trying to unite the country and defeat ISIS.

We are coming up to the anniversary of the democratic election in Libya, which was the high point of 2012 before the country descended into chaos.  See Chapter 6 of Belfast to Benghazi for some of the mistakes, which led to the assassination of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and the second civil war.

 

The Daily Telegraph is preparing for the release of the Iraq Inquiry with an article written by Ben Farmer about the Army being too slow to scrap their “coffin” Land Rovers in Iraq  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/17/chilcot-mod-and-army-too-slow-on-snatch-land-rovers/

The families of the fallen deserve the answers they crave, but I do hope Sir John Chilcot explains the difference between technical safety and operational risk in his report, in order to avoid misunderstandings about blame.

See Chapter 5 pages 192-205 in Belfast to Benghazi for the story about Snatch Land Rovers and Army equipment in Iraq between 2004 and 2007.

Snatch 2b – IED Attack

Discussing the Prime Minister’s announcement about increasing Britain’s contribution to Operation Sophia.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b07crvzd/newsnight-27052016

 

This Sunday is the International Day of Peacekeepers and tomorrow at the Cenotaph, we will honour the memory of 3,400 military, civilians and police, who have lost their lives whilst serving in UN peacekeeping missions.

On 25th May 1995, the Bosnian war re-ignited as 60 people were killed in Tuzla in an artillery attack.  Subsequently two French soldiers serving with the UN were killed in the Battle of Vrbanja Bridge and I had to take over responsibility for Jelah after the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment redeployed to central Bosnia.   See Chapter 3 of Belfast to Benghazi for the full story of the transition from UN peacekeeping to NATO peace enforcement in 1995.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Belfast-Benghazi-Untold-Challenges-War/dp/1861515669/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464202598&sr=8-1&keywords=belfast+to+benghazi

 

 

Today is the 75th Anniversary of the first military expedition to relieve the siege of Tobruk, Operation Brevity. In the aftermath of the 2011 revolution, I laid a wreath at the 2 Commonwealth War Cemetries in Tobruk remembering those who died in the siege and at the battle of Knightsbridge. We were welcomed by the Libyan Air Force at the General Nasser Air Base at El Adam and by the town council, who wished to re-establish the strong relationship forged between the United Kingdom and Libya, which was interuppted by Colonel Gadhafi in 1969 – see pages 268 to 270 of Belfast to Benghazi.

An enjoyable and engaging evening at the Prince Consort Library in Aldershot.  We discussed how the security risks and key areas of interest have changed since the revolution in 2011 when Islamic black flags were not flown by the Guardians of the Revolution.  See Chapter 6 in Belfast to Benghazi  available at http://www.mereobooks.com/books/genre/biography-memoirs/belfast-to-benghazi or at http://www.waterstones.com

Book Reviews – Belfast to Benghazi ****

“What I found refreshing about this title is the way Wieloch gives his troops credit for the work they carried out rather than glorifying his own role…he tells his stories with brutal honesty mixed with military humour. A thought-provoking and thoroughly readable account of our nation’s recent military history.”

At a book launch and signing event in The White Horse Bookshop, Marlborough

 

Interviewed by Mishal Husain following the Foreign Secretary’s visit to Tripoli on Monday to support the GNA. Twenty eight days remaining to listen to the discussion (after the Michael Gove heated EU debate with Nick Robinson) at the link below: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b077gd50

The security risks and key areas of strategic interest in Libya are all described in my book, Belfast to Benghazi – available from Waterstones and many other well-known bookshops or at http://www.mereobooks.com/books/genre/biography-memoirs/belfast-to-benghazi

 

 

 

Very grateful to P&G Wells for hosting a book launch and signing event – also looking forward to West Sussex and Wiltshire this week