THE commanding officer of Lancashire troops in Iraq was back in the UK yesterday to meet families and friends of his soldiers.
Lieutenant Colonel Gary Deakin, in charge of the 1st Battalion the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, and three soldiers, gave a presentation in Lancaster about the work carried out since they were deployed in Basra in November.
There are 600 soldiers from the North West now serving in Iraq in the battalion. They are based at Basra airport as the transfer of power to the Iraqis is completed.
Lt Col Deakin and his soldiers were due to complete a six-month tour of duty, but a new government announcement on reducing troop levels in Iraq means that 100 soldiers will return later this month, and the remaining 500 troops will be back in May. Although its soldiers are recruited from the North West, the 1st Battalion's home base is in Osnabruck, Germany.
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