Wiltshire troops sent to Gulf

31,000 UK troops are being sent to the Gulf

Soldiers from an artillery regiment based in Wiltshire are being sent to the Gulf in preparation for potential military action against Iraq.

Gunners from the 32nd Royal Artillery Regiment based at Roberts Barracks, Larkhill, are preparing to be shipped out as part of a major land force.

A large battery group, and a headquarters of some 340 men and women, will be sent.

They will be manning the one of the army's surveillance and target systems.

An Army spokesman said: "The real-time thermal imagery capability of this system has proved of considerable benefit in a wide variety of tasks.

"These include campaign analysis and safe surveillance over mined and inaccessible terrain."