Halliwell entertains British troops

CAMP SOUTH, Salalah, Oman: British troops took time off from tedious military exercises in Oman on Saturday night to watch a new forces' sweetheart, former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, perform and sing for them.

Seductively dressed in military colors, Halliwell followed in the footsteps of superstars Dame Vera Lynn and Marilyn Monroe, as she entertained some 7,000 soldiers bracing for possible action in a U.S.-led attack on Afghanistan.

"Hello boys. How are you doing?," sensuous Halliwell told the cheering crowd as she mounted the stage. "I hope the uniform is appropriate," said the former Spice Girl who appeared with the chart-topping band Steps and British comedian Bobby Davro.

"It is really good for the morale, all the celebrations here, the soccer match... It is just great," Liam Garside, a 19-year- old soldier told Reuters.

The site, turned into an entertainment camp with big screens and tent-bars, gave the troops a relaxing break from war games they had been staging in the sweltering desert with Omani forces.

The Saturday night show, held at Camp South in Oman's southern desert, was put back two hours so that soccer-mad British soldiers could first watch England's crucial World Cup qualifier against Greece. -- Reuters