More than 200 troops were due to arrive in the Gulf this weekend to spearhead ... Meanwhile, the role of the SAS in preparations for a new war against Saddam emerged last night.

The BBC drama follows the exploits of the Special Air Service during World War Two, and the men of the unit who stood out including its founder David Stirling.

It has been almost a quarter century since the 1991 Gulf War which began with Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. The war began with Operation Desert Storm on January 17 ...