The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is set to train Libyan military personnel at Bassingbourn Camp in Cambridgeshire.
More than 300 Libyan soldiers have arrived in the UK, as part of an agreement signed by the Libyan Government earlier this year to provide a 24-week training programme for soldiers who have already undergone a screening and selection process.
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The UK Armed Forces and Libyan Government have been working closely to develop the training package, comprising 12 modules that include drills, marksmanship, fitness, first-aid, military discipline and the law of armed conflict.
The soldiers will be trained in basic infantry and junior leadership skills later this year. The programme aims to help them achieve peace and stability across their country.
UK Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said: "Over the next 24 weeks, the British Army will deliver world-class training to the Libyan soldiers, which will better prepare them to support Libya’s transition to a stable and open democracy.
"I am pleased that the training of the Libyan General Purpose Force at Bassingbourn Camp has begun in earnest after several months of preparation."
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By GlobalDataThe Libyan forces will be put through their paces on a course that has been developed by the British Army and is run by 3rd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Funded by Libya, the training forms part of a defence and security assistance package developed by Britain in collaboration with the US, France and Italy, to support Libya’s democratic transition.
As part of the package, UK Prime Minister David Cameron offered to train around 7,000 Libyan soldiers at a G8 Summit in 2013 in Northern Ireland, UK.
Image: The UK 3 Scots soldiers during an exercise. Photo: Corporal Barry Lloyd, Crown copyright.
