Harry prepares for Iraq on plain

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Prince Harry has started to prepare for his deployment to Iraq by taking part in Army exercises on Salisbury Plain.

About 3,500 soldiers are carrying out mock-up operations to simulate routine patrols and arresting dangerous insurgents this week.

The exercises have been designed to be as realistic as possible in order to prepare the soldiers for duty in Iraq.

Harry will become the first royal in 25 years to be sent to a war zone when he embarks on a six-month tour in Basra.

During the training exercise, "insurgents" fired mortars at army camps and launched roadside bombs at armoured vehicles.

'Dangerous theatre'

On Sunday evening, soldiers from another regiment to Harry's - the4 Rifles Battle Group - launched a mock-up strike operation.

Their task was to capture suspected insurgents from the purpose-built village of Copehill Down.

They arrested seven people despite one armoured vehicle breaking down which then had to be towed back to camp, which was standing in for the base where they will be stationed in Iraq.

They are apprehensive - who wouldn't be? Lt Col Patrick Sanders

Lt Col Patrick Sanders, commanding officer of 4 Rifles, said: "I would almost rather we made mistakes because you tend to learn more from mistakes than you do from success.

"I do not want to set an atmosphere where anyone is complacent for those first few weeks in theatre."

The deployment to Iraq will be the first for many members of the 4 Rifles, a new battalion which was created on 1 February.

Lt Col Sanders said: "The boys are by and large really excited and stimulated by the challenge, and want to get out there.

"They are apprehensive - who wouldn't be? It's a dangerous theatre - but they want to get out and do the job."

Harry, known as Cornet Wales, and his men from the Blues and Royals were carrying out exercises on a different part of the Plain.