Around 150 soldiers of the 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment are preparing to deploy to Iraq in support the international fight against Islamic State.



Soldiers from the Lancashire-based battalion have just completed a comprehensive training package here in the UK, and will deploy as part of a larger 500-strong British Army force which will spend six months training Iraqi Security Forces and Kurdish Security Forces.

As part of the UK’s leading role in the 68-member Global Coalition committed to defeating IS, the 2 LANCS personnel will provide protection to other British troops which have been tasked with training local security forces.

British personnel have saved lives and contributed to recent successful operations in Iraq by training over 30,000 Iraqi forces - including nearly 7,000 Kurdish Peshmerga - in Infantry skills as well as weapons maintenance, counter IED, medical, engineering and combat medical skills.

The troops are light Infantrymen, used to operating on foot, and so learning how to working from Foxhound patrol vehicles has been key preparation for the mission. The state-of-the-art vehicles will provide the best in protection whilst they move around Iraq.

Foxhound’s specifically designed V-shaped hull protects against roadside bombs and, because it is lighter and smaller than other armoured vehicles, it is ideal for soldiers operating in mentoring and partnering roles.