UK leaving Iraq on Sunday after 8 year presence

Britain's Defence secretary says the departure of 170 navy training personnel from Iraq on Sunday 22nd May will mark conclusion of Operation Telic.

Britain's eight years of military commitment in Iraq will finally and formally come to an end on Sunday 22nd May, when the remaining forces in the south of the country will withdraw.

The announcement to bring to an end one of the most controversial military campaigns in recent history was made on Wednesday in a statement by the defence secretary, Liam Fox.

In total, the UK still has about 170 mostly naval personnel in Iraq, helping to train the fledgling Iraqi navy from the port of Umm Qasr. The contingent includes a few Royal Marines.

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British troops in Afghanistan face the sack

Almost the entire contingent of Britain’s 10,000 troops in Afghanistan have been told they could be sacked within months after ministers disclosed plans to get rid of one in 10 members of the Armed Forces.

The Ministry of Defence has announced the full scale of redundancies that will take place in the Army, RAF and Royal Navy in an attempt to cut billions of pounds from the department’s budget.

Read full story at The Telegraph