LONDON (CU)_ As part of new NATO mission, hundreds of British soldiers are set to be sent to Iraq in the biggest increase of UK troops since the last Gulf War. Currently, 100 British personnel are stationed there and this number is expected to double or even triple later this year.
The troops currently based in the Middle Eastern country are training Iraqi security forces, and under the new mission, they could also be used in a security role, which could bring them into direct conflict with militia groups.
According to Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, the decision was made following the recent rocket attack on a US base in northern Iraq, which killed a civilian contractor and wounded nine others.
Expressing his support for the decision, former Army commander Colonel Richard Kemp said that the rise of Islamic State has ed to numerous terrorist attacks in Europe, including the UK.
“Iraqi forces face a growing threat from Islamic State, with a double suicide bombing in Baghdad in January and daily attacks across the country,” he said. “We and NATO must do whatever we can to help the Iraqis improve their military capabilities so they can impose greater control on their territory. In doing so our forces will also be protecting us here at home.”
Nearly 180 British soldiers lost their lives in Iraq following its invasion in March 2003, until the official termination of Operation Telic eight years later. In May 2011, the last British fighting troops withdrew at the end of the controversial campaign.
NATO Mission Iraq is a non-combat training and advisory mission established at the request of the Iraqi Interim Government under the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 1546. The Mission also provides advice and support to the Ministry of Defence in Baghdad in the development of its military and overall national security strategies.
