Irish soldiers set for Darfur trip

The Dáil will be asked to approve the deployment of hundreds of Irish troops to the Darfur conflict in the next few weeks.

About 350 soldiers are due to be deployed in Chad.

They will form part of a 3,000-strong EU battlegroup - commanded by Limerick man Major-General Pat Nash and designed to protect refugees near the Sudanese border.

Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea says an advance team is currently in the region assessing the risk of attacks on the Irish troops: "The general view we are getting from military is that it is unlikely that they will come under attack but I'd like to wait and see the detailed assessment before I bring proposals to cabinet."