1,400 troops 'on Afghan standby'

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According to The Herald newspaper, two complete battalions from the Royal Regiment of Scotland and another company group were on standby for a tour in the country this coming March.

The Royal Highland Fusiliers 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland have already begun training for the mission, the paper said.

They will reportedly be joined by the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.

The Herald said a request had also been made for a company group from the Highlanders 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland to be on standby.

The total possible deployment equates to about half the Scottish infantry.

There are currently more than 6,000 British troops in Afghanistan, with the majority in the southern part of the country.

Soldier rotations take place on a regular, sometimes six-monthly, basis.

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defence refused to comment on future troop movements.

She said: "We are not going to comment on speculation about who is going. We will be making an announcement about the roulement of troops in the normal way."