900 reservists called up to Iraq
The Government has announced that 900 reservists will be called up for service in Iraq.
This will partly be in order to replace some of the reservists already in Iraq, but there will be a rise in the total numbers of reservists in theatre from 750 to around 1,000.
The new deployment was announced by the Defence Minister Ivor Caplin in the Commons this afternoon.
He told MPs: “The majority of those called-out can expect a deployed tour of six months and a total period of mobilisation, including post-tour leave, of about nine months” though he admitted that for some “it may be slightly longer”.
There is no indication yet of where the troops will be drawn from, although there is a distinct possibility that those with medical experience will be sought. One of the tasks mentioned by Mr Caplin in his statement was the staffing of a field hospital.
Call-up notices will go out to those identified as “fit and available” between now and March, with deployment expected to begin from April 2005.
