IT took eight days to bring all 300 men and women of 2 Signal Regiment home from the front line in Afghanistan earlier this year, the Ministry of Defence has revealed.
The regiment, which is based at Imphal Barracks, Fulford, York, formally handed over their work in the war-torn country on January 15, the same day on which the first soldiers flew back to the UK. But some fellow York soldiers had to wait until January 22.
Military operations minister Nick Harvey, responding to a written parliamentary question by York Central MP Hugh Bayley, said it was standard practice for units to stagger their arrival and departure in the war zone to ensure smooth handovers, and the regiment had requested flights for January 14, 17, 19 and 21.
“Due to aircraft serviceability and availability issues”, the troops were actually embarked on flights that left on January 15, 18, 20 and 22, he said.
Less than a week after the last troops returned, the regiment were presented with medals for their Afghan tour of duty at a special homecoming parade.
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