Warning as Royal Scots head for Iraq

Published on Thursday 5 January 2006 01:16

SCOTTISH soldiers in Iraq face a more dangerous situation now than two years ago, a senior officer said yesterday.

Lieutenant-Colonel George Lowder, the commanding officer of the Royal Scots, warned that insurgents were better armed and more capable of mounting attacks against his solders than they were when the regiment was last in Iraq, in the spring of 2004.

His words of caution came as the first batch of soldiers from the Edinburgh-based regiment prepared to fly out to Iraq today, with the remainder of the 450-strong party due to join them on Sunday and Monday.

"It is potentially more dangerous than Telic 3 [the previous deployment], but not routinely more dangerous," he said.

"The bad guys have got the capability and the determination to mount effective attacks and they have been doing it now for longer and, in some ways, they are getting a bit better at it."

About 100 Royal Scots will be deployed to Baghdad to protect British staff in the capital city and the rest will be used for security and convoy protection duties in southern Iraq.

They are expected to return in about four months, depending on the security situation in the wake of the recent elections.

Lt-Col Lowder said there had been delays in handing over to Iraqi security forces and problems remained with some parts of the police service.

About half the soldiers currently serving with the regiment were deployed to Iraq for Operation Telic 3, returning to the UK in April 2004.

Lieutenant Kevin Gartside, who got engaged only a month ago, said they were enthusiastic about the deployment and did not appreciate calls to withdraw British troops from Iraq.

"The guys want to go - that's why they joined," he said.