A prosecution could result in a two-year prison sentence

A small number of Portadown-based part-time volunteers have invoked a special right of appeal within the Army to try to avoid going to the Gulf.

Sixty three Royal Irish Regiment Territorial Army members - about a third of its complement - have already linked up in Iraq with full-time soldiers of the division.

It is understood some of those soldiers had lost their appeals against their deployment.

The Army would only say that the number of soldiers who had appealed was small, and that they had accepted the decision.

If an appeal failed but the soldier still decided to stay at home, a possible prosecution could result in a two-year prison sentence.

A Territorial Army spokesman said there was no-one in any "theatre of operations" who did not want to be there.

Some members of the same unit won their appeals for legitimate reasons such as employment circumstances.

However, anger has been expressed by some families that their relatives were sent to war while others were able to stay at home.