‘Hundreds’ more UK troops to be sent to Iraq: British Defense Minister

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Hundreds of British troops will be sent to Iraq in the New Year, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has said.

The deployment – to help train local forces – will be in the “very low hundreds” but could also include a small protection force of combat-ready soldiers, he said.

About 50 UK troops are already training Iraqi and Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq.

The Ministry of Defence said the move had not yet been formally approved.

An MoD spokesman said: “No decision on troop numbers, units or locations have yet been made”.

Mr Fallon said the fresh troop deployment would be made in January and would be to four training centres that US forces are establishing. /End/