MESOP : MORE BRITISH & NORWEGIAN SOLDIERS TO IRAQ

LONDON,— BBC- UK 8 March 2015 – The UK is to send nearly 60 extra Army personnel to Iraq to support the fight against self-proclaimed Islamic State group (IS) militants, it has been announced, BBC reported.

British Prime Minister David Cameron authorised the decision to send the team to help deliver training for Kurdish Peshmerga forces fighting IS, also known as ISIS. More than 1,000 Kurdish troops have already been trained by UK personnel. The latest deployment will focus on the counter-IED training programme organised by the coalition fighting IS. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: “This counter-IED training will give Iraqi forces a vital capability in taking the fight to Isil and is another example of our commitment to the campaign against Isil. “Along with our airstrikes, Britain is making a major contribution to training Iraqi forces to help them defend their country.“It will take time but the coalition airstrikes are having a direct impact in supporting Iraqi ground operations to retake areas and push back Isil.” On the same issue, around 50 soldiers from the Norwegian Telemark Battalion which is an elite mechanised Norwegian Army infantry unit, will be heading to Kurdistan capital city of Erbil in Iraq’s north to train Kurdish forces to help them in their fight against Islamic State, the Norwegian ministry of defence has confirmed. It is thought the mission will begin in early April.