BRITISH troops are taking on the role of the enemy as part of a major training exercise.

Soldiers from the Household Cavalry, the Fusiliers and the Royal Horse Artillery are among those currently on the exercise at British Army Training Unit Suffield in Alberta, Canada.

But rather than going through their usual drills they are being asked to fight "dirty" against their own Army colleagues in a simulated battle.

In total about 2,000 personnel are taking part in the two-month deployment - the Army's biggest training exercise of the year.

While in the past the troops playing the enemy would have copied the Taliban, they are now adopting different tactics as the focus shifts from Afghanistan. Lt Col Denis James, from the Household Cavalry, is in charge of the "enemy" forces operating armoured vehicles on the vast range.

He said: "We have always tried to get inside the mind of the enemy. But this is a chance to leave behind our normal British army protocols and operate in the grey areas that our enemies might occupy. For a long time our main focus has been on Iraq and Afghanistan but now we are beginning to return to more conventional training."

At nearly 1,160 square miles, the Suffield range is the British Army's biggest training facility. Troops spend several weeks on the Canadian prairie, helping to build their survival skills as well as practising tactics.