Queen honours Iraq service personnel
Gordon Brown also attended the service
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Friday, 09, Oct 2009 04:46
By Richard James.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have today attended a remembrance service honouring all those who served in the Iraq conflict.
The ceremony was held at St Paul's Cathedral, and according to the Ministry of Defence provided "an opportunity to honour the members of the UK forces and civil servants who served in Iraq and to remember those who lost their lives during the six year operation".
The majority of the congregation consisted of serving and ex-serving veterans of the conflict, along with their commanders, the injured and families of those who died.
Prime minister Gordon Brown and other members of the royal family, including Princes Charles and William, were also in attendance.
Back in August when the service was announced, defence secretary Bob Ainsworth said it would be an opportunity to recognise the "enormous" contribution made by British service personnel and their Iraqi counterparts.
"In particular it will be a time to remember the ultimate sacrifice made by those who died and who contributed to the greater peace and stability that exists in Iraq today," he said.
In the six years between 2003 and 2009, 179 British service personnel were killed in Iraq.
Combat operations by British troops in the country officially came to an end in April with a flag-lowering ceremony in Basra.