Two hundred British infantrymen were effectively pinned down by a group of protesters while trying to clear ‘illegal’ vegetation from a Cypriot firing range.Base authorities say troops from 2nd Battalion The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment (PWRR) were sent to clear the area because vegetation was “restricting arcs of fire and visibility.” The efforts were halted, according to Forces TV, when up to 100 protesters arrived.

It is claimed the Acacia trees were planted by poachers who use them to hunt songbirds, which are caught and used to make a local dish named ambelopoulia.

The military released a slightly confused statement on the standoff, which was eventually resolved.