Images Dated 6th February 2012

Traitors Gate, Tower of London (1871 engraving)

Leading from the River Thames, Traitor's Gate was the entrance to the Tower of London for many unfortunates who met their end in the Tower, including Queen Anne Boleyn, Sir Thomas More and Queen Catherine Howard. Engraving from Collins Illustrated Guide to London and Neighbourhood, price one shilling; published by William Collins, Sons & Company, London, in 1871

© Linda Steward

A Greek and an EU flag fly over the Greek ministry of foreign affairs in Athens

A Greek and an EU flag fly atop the Greek ministry of foreign affairs as a storm looms over Athens February 6, 2012. Greece's coalition parties must tell the European Union on Monday whether they accept the painful terms of a new bailout deal to avoid a messy default that could threaten the country's future in the euro zone. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis (GREECE - Tags: BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

RAF Regiment Soldiers Deploy on US Osprey Rotary Wing Aircraft on Operation Backfoot

Members of II Squadron RAF Regiment and the US Marine Corps board US Osprey Aircraft at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan.
The Coalition troops deployed on Operation Backfoot, a combined operation to disrupt insurgent activity in Helmand province.
A Joint UK/US/Afghan operation south of Bastion Airfield involving 2 Squadron, RAF Regiment, has found and destroyed a large cache of Taliban IED-making equipment which was ready to be used in attacks against Afghan and ISAF forces.
Operation Dishata Pasha (Pashtu for Backfoot) was launched at dawn on Monday (Feb 6), with RAF Regiment troops under command of Sqn Ldr Jules Weekes (33), Officer Commanding 2 Sqn, RAF Regiment. The force also included warriors from Afghan Army's 3rd Brigade and US Marines from 2 Marine Expeditionary Force.
The force deployed by US Osprey aircraft, with its unique tilt-rotor capability, and the operation resulted in the find and destruction of a suspected insurgent IED cache close to Bastion Airfield in Helmand Province. The force also scooped a wealth of intelligence despite coming under fire several times.
The operation took place in the Dasht (or desert) south of Bastion Airfield, whose protection is the task of 2 Squadron, operating as part of 3 RAF Force Protection Wing. The Dasht is a sparse landscape of rolling fields and scrub dotted with compounds and is increasingly being used as a harbour area by Taliban forces who have come under pressure elsewhere by successful coalition operations