MORE troops must be sent to the Gulf to ease the pressure on those on the frontline, says Faversham and Mid Kent MP Hugh Robertson.

The MP, who fought in the last Gulf War as the adjutant of a main battle tank regiment, said soldiers fighting in Iraq needed a chance to recuperate.

"The last fortnight has extraordinarily demanding, it comes on top of a months of preparation. Our existing troops are now getting tired, which is when mistakes occur. It is important to realise the current conflict is not the 1991 Gulf War Mark II. It will thus take a great deal longer to resolve.

"It is, therefore, imperative that the Government sends out more troops to support our servicemen and women already in Iraq. As we move north, the supply lines will get stretched and need protecting, the terrain will get more built up and we will encounter the Republican Guard and the Special Republican Guard.”

“The civilian population becomes overwhelmingly Sunni, who are more loyal to Saddam Hussain, rather than Shia. In short, it is going to get more difficult," he said.