Britain to send more troops to train Iraqi forces

More British troops will train Baghdad's forces on the ground in the battle against the Islamic State group [IS].

2 min read

12 March, 2016

Foreign forces have been training Iraqi forces in a bid to defeat IS [Getty]

Britain is to send more troops to train Iraqi forces taking on the Islamic State group.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said a further 30 soldiers, as well as specialist medical staff, would be deployed to camps at Bismayah and Taji outside Baghdad, to provide training in logistics and bridge-building.

The move would take the total number of British personnel on training missions inside Iraq to 300, while British jets pound IS targets in both Syria and Iraq.

Fallon said "solid progress" had been made, with IS being pushed out of large parts of Syria and Iraq.

The militant group seized numerous towns and cities in recent years and has imposed its own hardline interpretation of Islamic law on local residents.

"Now is the time to step up our training of Iraqi forces, as they prepare for operations in key cities such as Fallujah and Mosul," he said.

"Along with the trebling of UK airstrikes, this underlines the crucial role our armed forces are playing in the fight against [IS]."

On Wednesday, British Tornado and Typhoon aircraft conducted four attacks in northern and western Iraq.

Five other attacks were carried out in the same area the following day, destroying a weapons cache and several IS fighting positions, the Ministry of Defence said.