It will open its doors in 2013, and accept 1,350 recruits annually with some 120 UK troops involved in the training.

Poignant and personal - the thoughts of UK troops serving on the front line.

Gordon Brown said the operation in Iraq had been a "success story" because of UK troops' efforts.

Where are UK troops and why?

He won 298 votes (0.8 percent), making a speech against the ongoing presence of UK troops in Iraq at the declaration of the result.

A total of 232 UK troops have died since the mission in Afghanistan began in October 2001.

How do UK troops clear a safe path through areas littered with Taliban roadside bombs?

This year, 20 have been killed and 26 seriously wounded in southern Afghanistan, where 7,700 UK troops are based.

What are UK troops doing there?

Questionable shootings of civilians by UK troops also figure.