LONDON, Aug 07, 2011 (AFP) - Britain is spending A1.3 million ($2.1 million, 1.5 million euros) a month on accomodation for 1,000 service personnel in Italy while they conduct air strikes on Libya, official figures showed Sunday.
The Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots and their support crews are deployed in four different parts of Italy as part of the NATO campaign against Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's forces.
Accomodation costs have averaged A1,315,000 a month since the bombing raids began in March, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.
Some A1.1 million a month is going on accommodation for personnel at the Gioia del Colle airbase in southeast Italy, where the RAF Tornado and Typhoon fighter jets are stationed.
The MoD said in April that it was considering alternative accomodation at Gioia del Colle.
"The RAF is operating from Gioia del Colle in southern Italy where military accommodation is limited and therefore hotel accommodation must be used," it said.
NATO is enforcing a United Nations-authorised no-fly zone over Libya to protect civilians.
rjm/ach
Copyright AFP 2011.
