Chief of the Defence Staff visits UK troops deployed to Cyprus on country's Independence Day

The head of the UK's Armed Forces visited personnel deployed to Cyprus during celebrations marking the country's national day of independence.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton visited reservists from 8th Battalion The Rifles who recently took over Op Tosca as the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus.

The Chief of the Defence Staff also visited members of British Forces Cyprus, including at RAF Akrotiri, which was hit by a drone earlier this year.

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He joined international military officials from the United States, France, and Egypt for an Independence Day parade in Nicosia.

It was the first time UK personnel have taken part in the parade, which included members of the Welsh Guards and an RAF Chinook alongside the Cypriot National Guard.

Cyprus won independence from colonial Britain in 1960 after a bloody campaign by Greek Cypriot nationalists, leading to the creation of the Republic of Cyprus.