TA soldiers leave for UN duties

The soldiers will be joined at the end of next month by 300 fellow TA soldiers, from across Northern Ireland, who have been training for the six-month peace-keeping tour of duty with the UN.

The soldiers will take up duties at a crucial time in political talks regarding re-unification of the Mediterranean island.

They take over duties on the so-called "Green Line" in the capital, Nicosia and will be working alongside regular soldiers from Argentina who will be manning another section of the frontier.

The NI reservists deploy under the title 40th (Ulster] Signal Regiment Group as most are drawn from 40th (Ulster] Signals with support from colleagues in other reserve forces in NI including engineers, logistics, medics and infantry.

The NI soldiers will be controlling a 30 kilometre section of the "Green Line" which begins at Mammari, west of Nicosia and ends at Kaimakli to the east of the capital.

The two other sectors are patrolled by an Argentinian contingent and by Slovak and Hungarian troops. Peace-keeping troops have been on the ground since 1964 to prevent a recurrence of conflict between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.

This will be the last deployment for soldiers of 40 (Ulster] Signals as, under MOD rationalisation, the unit is being disbanded when they return.