Improvements seen at Basra airport

BASRA, Iraq, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- British forces matched recent gains at the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr with significant improvements to Basra International Airport, officials said.

A division of Royal Air Force gunners from Scotland have made consistent improvements to the infrastructure of the airport at the hub of Iraq's major transportation center and the second-largest city in the country.

The British Ministry of Defense said RAF personnel had made progress on the construction of several fuel depots and general reconstruction.

British forces are in the lead of Multi-National Division-South East based in Basra.

The improvements to Basra International Airport follow similar progress at the port of Umm Qasr.

In August, the British Royal Navy entered Umm Qasr for the first time since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

British naval ships carried out demining operations in early 2008 to clear the port, while Iraqi naval ships coordinated security efforts along the coast, the ministry said.