Harry to join 'Iraq training'

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Prince Harry is joining members of his regiment on a training course that prepares soldiers for serving in Iraq.

The prince, a cornet in the Blues and Royals cavalry regiment, will undergo a two-day course with the Operational Training and Advisory Group (Optag).

Optag courses are specialist training normally undertaken before deployment to a war zone.

But the Ministry of Defence says no decision has yet been made about which regiments will be deployed to Iraq.

Deployment

A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said: "There has been no decision made yet which cavalry is going to Iraq, so neither has there been a decision as to which units will be going." And Clarence House said a final decision had not been made over whether Harry would be sent to a war zone.

A spokesman said: "He is undergoing this training, but no decision has been made about deployment."

Last year, 22-year-old Harry completed a four-and-a-half month training course at Bovington Camp in Dorset to become an Armoured Reconnaissance Troop Leader.

Harry, a cornet in the Blues and Royals, is reported to be keen on using his new skills on the front line if his squadron was deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq.