Hundreds of British soldiers will be redeployed in central Iraq in response to a US request, the defence secretary has confirmed. Geoff Hoon told the House of Commons the deployment of about 850 Black Watch troops and support staff would last "weeks rather than months". He said they would remain under the day-to-day command of British generals. The 650-strong Black Watch regiment and about 200 support personnel would move from their base in Basra to near the capital Baghdad. Redeploying UK soldiers to an area south-west of the Iraqi capital will free US troops for an anticipated assault on insurgent-held Falluja.