Seven paras were injured when their patrol was ambushed in Iraq

The troops touched down at about 1300 BST on Wednesday at Manston Airfield, in Kent, in an arrival kept low key by army officials.

Their return follows an incident last Tuesday in Iraq in which seven paras from the Dover-based regiment were injured in an ambush while on patrol.

Three of those were airlifted back to the UK on Friday, with others following at the weekend.

The two most seriously injured were being treated at an American hospital in Kuwait.

I hope he's on the flight - it's a long time coming Sam Leppard, a paratrooper's fiancee

The bodies of six British soldiers killed in a gun battle on the same day were also flown back from Iraq on Wednesday.

A small number of families turned up at Manston to see the plane arrive.

Sam Leppard, from Lydd, told the BBC she hoped her 19-year-old fiance Rob Bradford would be among those to return.

She said: "I'm very anxious, I just want him to come home.

"I hope he's on the flight - it's a long time coming."

Miss Leppard said her boyfriend had left in February and had celebrated his 19th birthday out in Iraq.

The troops were expected to be transferred to their barracks in Dover in a series of coaches waiting at the airfield.