British troops could be moved to Baghdad to cover for US soldiers battling insurgents in the rebel-held city of Falluja and elsewhere in Iraq, according to British media reports today.
The deployment to the Iraqi capital would be the first time British troops have operated outside the Basra area of southern Iraq.
Up to 650 troops would be involved in the move, which would last for just a few weeks, the BBC said.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman in London said no decision had been made and that any significant movement of troops would be announced "in the normal way".
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The Timesnewspaper said officers from Britain's Black Watch regiment, currently serving in Basra, had told their troops about a possible move to Baghdad.