Extra troops for Iraq

About 450 more British troops were ordered to Iraq today after warnings of an imminent upsurge in attacks.

A battalion of the Black Watch will strengthen security around Basra, together with a small contingent of Army specialists and back-up.

About 150 troops who have served in the sector for several months will come home. The move is an interim measure, asked for by British commanders on the ground, to cope with an expected increase in activity by terrorists and insurgents seeking to wreck the handover of power to Iraqi representatives on 30 June. A bigger announcement, involving up to 3,000 soldiers who may be deployed to new trouble spots, is expected to follow within weeks.

The Cabinet was briefed on the development this morning.

In a Commons statement this afternoon, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon was expected to say the Black Watch will not stray outside the

British sector in southern Iraq. The 530-strong Scottish battalion, from one of the Army's toughest regiments, will leave within days for the Gulf. It is armed with Scimitar and Warrior armoured fighting vehicles. Sources said it would join existing forces to strengthen numbers for "routine" security patrols.

A senior official said: "This deployment was asked for by British commanders to maintain security and ensure sovereignty is handed over to the Iraqi people."

Downing Street made a distinction between this "operational" move and the expected "strategic decision" to deploy British troops outside the current zone to cities such as Najaf.

Those troops will have a wider role to impose order on hotspots, disarm extremist bands and give full control to a new Iraqi army sector by sector.

The Prime Minister's spokesman said: "This is purely an operational matter in response to a specific need in our theatre of operations."

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw also briefed Cabinet on UN talks towards a US-UK resolution endorsing the creation of the new Iraqi government. He said the atmosphere at the New York talks was "constructive".

Shadow defence secretary Nicholas Soames criticised a "lack of clarity" in Mr Hoon's plans.

Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy endorsed today's deployment but warned against giving British troops a wider role: "Any further British troops being sent into Iraq must be at the operational request of the British commanders in the field," he said. "It must not be at the behest of the Americans and it must not be widening the role of the British forces there."