British troops set to leave Bosnia

More than 600 British troops are to be withdrawn from Bosnia, Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram has announced.

The soldiers, mainly from the Welsh Guards, are being removed because of the improved security situation in the country.

Only a small number of British staff officers will remain in Sarajevo at the headquarters of the Eufor peacekeeping force headquarters.

In a statement to the House of Commons, Mr Ingram said that the situation in the country was becoming "increasingly safe", but admitted that the military operations had not been without significant loss.

The Minister also announced plans for a series of commemorative events to be held in order to honour the 55 British personnel who lost their lives in Bosnia, as well as the thousands who served in the country.

Britain first sent troops to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1992. Twelve thousands troops were stationed there at the height of the operations. However, there are now about 6,000 international troops, including those from the UK.

On Tuesday, the European Union announced that troops in Bosnia would be scaled down to 2,500 troops.

However, the Conservatives accused the government of 'scratching around' to find troops for Afghanistan, following this week's revelation that 1,400 extra troops are to be sent to Afghanistan.

Shadow Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox said: "It's clear that as overstretch hits hard, the government is having to scratch around to find anywhere from which it can withdraw troops to then send to Afghanistan. Our armed forces are carrying a heavy and disproportionate burden in Helmand."

However, Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Michael Moore said that the statement was a "sign of progress" made by the EU's military mission in Bosnia and called for an increase in the EU's civilian mission.

(KMcA/SP)