Queen Elizabeth II pallbearers to return to Iraq to 'help fight Islamic State group'

Queen Elizabeth II's pallbearers were set to return to Iraq to continue their role in the 'fight against the Islamic State (IS) group'.

The eight members of the UK's 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards travelled to London to take part in the late monarch's funeral last week.

They were to return "this week" to a north Iraq airbase involved in the fight against IS, the Daily Mail reported. The Express newspaper, which updated its story later on Sunday, appeared to suggest that some of the soldiers were already in Iraq.

"It is this sharp contrast that the men find so appealing," The Express quoted a senior British Army source as saying.

"If they only carried out ceremonial duties, I think it would lose its luster.

"These are fighting soldiers first and foremost."

The eight light infantry soldiers are protecting the base, which British and American troops use to conduct operations against IS in Iraq and Syria. Officially, they are in Iraq to help train Iraqi security forces.

The British Army's Grenadier Guards regiment carries out a variety of tasks, including ceremonial ones.

The regiment's roots extend as far back as 1656.

While IS was declared territorially defeated in 2019, the extremist group continues to wage a low-level insurgency in both Iraq and Syria.