Scottish soldiers return home after six months of training forces in Iraq
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Military personnel of the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland returned home to their base in Inverness after providing military training to Iraqi forces over the past six months, a Scottish newspaper reported on Saturday.
Over 300 soldiers and officers from 3 SCOTS were deployed to Iraq in January to train the Kurdish Peshmerga and Iraqi forces in their efforts to combat the Islamic State (IS), teaching them basic infantry techniques and first-class training.
The training mission was part of an operation called Operation Shader, the UK’s contribution to the fight against IS in the Middle East.
Following their departure, the soldiers of the US Army’s 3rd Cavalry Regiment took over the ongoing operation, Scotland’s The Press and Journal newspaper reported.
After six-month of providing military training to forces in Iraq, the Scottish troops landed at Prestwick Airport in Ayrshire on Wednesday before they get transferred to Fort George military base, the newspaper added.
There are over 500 British soldiers in Iraq playing a non-combat role as part of the US-led coalition against IS. British forces have trained nearly 75,000 soldiers in the country in capabilities such as dismantling improvised explosive devices (IEDs), infantry skills, combat medical techniques and engineering skills.
Editing by Nadia Riva