<P> Operation Banner was the operational name for the British Armed Forces ' operation in Northern Ireland from August 1969 to July 2007 , as part of the Troubles . It was the longest continuous deployment in the British military 's history . The British Army was initially deployed , at the request of the unionist government of Northern Ireland , in response to the August 1969 riots . Its role was to support the Royal Ulster Constabulary ( RUC ) and to assert the authority of the British government in Northern Ireland . At the peak of the operation in the 1970s , about 21,000 British troops were deployed , most of them from Britain . As part of the operation , a new locally - recruited regiment was also formed : the Ulster Defence Regiment ( UDR ) . After the 1998 Belfast Agreement , the operation was gradually scaled down and the vast majority of British troops were withdrawn . </P>
<P> Operation Banner was the operational name for the British Armed Forces ' operation in Northern Ireland from August 1969 to July 2007 , as part of the Troubles . It was the longest continuous deployment in the British military 's history . The British Army was initially deployed , at the request of the unionist government of Northern Ireland , in response to the August 1969 riots . Its role was to support the Royal Ulster Constabulary ( RUC ) and to assert the authority of the British government in Northern Ireland . At the peak of the operation in the 1970s , about 21,000 British troops were deployed , most of them from Britain . As part of the operation , a new locally - recruited regiment was also formed : the Ulster Defence Regiment ( UDR ) . After the 1998 Belfast Agreement , the operation was gradually scaled down and the vast majority of British troops were withdrawn . </P>
when did british troops withdraw from northern ireland
when did british troops withdraw from northern ireland
After the 1998 Belfast Agreement
After the 1998 Belfast Agreement