Troops stage mock battle ahead of Chad mission

IRISH troops went into battle yesterday in a final test ahead of their peacekeeping mission to war-torn Chad.

A staged attack saw soldiers respond to roadside bombs, helicopter drops and defending against armed enemies while dealing with casualties.

Up to 300 soldiers of the 97th Battalion battled it out in the green surroundings of the Glen of Immal, Co Wicklow, in conditions far different to the arid, dusty, desert landscape that awaits them in central Africa.