AKROTIRI, Cyprus (AP) " Britain's prime minister has praised military personnel at a U.K. air base on Cyprus for helping to beat back the Islamic State group with more than 1,600 air strikes in Iraq and Syria.

Theresa May told troops Friday that RAF Akrotiri is at the epicenter of the fight against IS and that their work to train the forces of neighboring countries is vital to maintaining stability in the volatile region.

She says that the security of Britain and other nations also depends on their work to prevent IS from finding new ungoverned areas to launch attacks.

May was speaking to around 200 servicemen and women Friday.

Britain has had sovereign bases on the eastern Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus since 1960. Britain used to be the former colonial power.