Today’s defence news summary includes coverage of the UK’s support of the fight against Daesh in Iraq and success for RFA Lyme Bay.
Iraq
The Today Programme, BBC News, Sky News, Daily Mail, Daily Star and Mirror confirm that dozens more British troops are being sent to Iraq to help to drive out Daesh, boosting the UK's force in the region to more than 1,000. Reports suggest that it is the most UK military personnel tackling Daesh in the Middle East since our withdrawal from Iraq nearly seven years ago and signals an escalation in the fight against terror in Iraq.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:
We’ve seen solid progress against Daesh in Iraq in recent months. Now is the time to step up our training of Iraqi Forces, as they prepare for operations in key cities such as Fallujah and Mosul. Along with the trebling of UK air strikes, this underlines the crucial role our armed forces are playing in the fight against Daesh.
Libya / Daesh
The Times reports that the United Nations has warned of the rise of Daesh in Libya, suggesting that the Libyan faction of Daesh has "significantly expanded" in recent months. The paper writes that the jihadists' new leader in the region, Abdul Qadr al-Najdi, has taken over from Abu Nabil, who was killed in a US airstrike near the eastern city of Derna in September.
Royal Marines
The Mirror reports that hundreds of Royal Marines have swapped their standard rifles for a top-of-the-range Special Forces weapon. The article suggests that elite troops from the 43 Commando battalion are now armed with the C8 Diemaco carbine rifle.
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