Watch live: RBL hosts service at National Memorial Arboretum, 15 years since the Iraq War

On 22 May 2011, the UK officially ended Operation Telic, marking the conclusion of its military involvement in Iraq.

Over the course of the eight-year conflict, 179 British service personnel lost their lives, while more than 6,000 were injured. 

Today, the Royal British Legion is hosting Remembering Iraq: 15 Years On at the National Memorial Arboretum, marking the 15th anniversary of the end of the conflict.

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BFBS Forces News will be providing live coverage of the event – beginning at 12 pm – which can be found by following this link. 

Remembering Iraq: 15 years on 

Hosted by former ITV News war correspondent Bill Neely – who reported extensively from the frontline during the conflict – around 1,500 members of the Armed Forces community are expected to attend the service. Defence Secretary John Healey will also be in attendance to pay his respects. 

The day will feature wreath-laying, readings, a Service of Remembrance, and a flypast by a Chinook helicopter. 

A reading will also be delivered by Anna-Marie McDonald, who was just seven years old when her father, Joseva Lewaicei, was killed in Iraq.

Speaking ahead of her address, she recalled how the Armed Forces community became like family after her father's death, and spoke about the pride she feels in delivering the reading today.

"The Armed Forces community is the only community I know, and something I hold very close to my heart," she said.

"Events like these mean a lot to me – to be able to reconnect with my father through the shared experiences of those he served with is very special. I'm standing on stage today not only for my father, but all those who never made it home." 

A Remembrance section, led by Reverend Peter William King MBE CF, will follow, including talks from Warrant Officer First Class (WO1) Johnson Beharry, who was awarded the Victoria Cross for two extraordinary acts of bravery while serving in Iraq in 2004.

On two separate occasions, WO1 Beharry – despite suffering injuries himself – drove his Warrior armoured vehicle through intense enemy fire to rescue fellow soldiers trapped following an attack, refusing to leave anyone behind.

Speaking ahead of today's event, he said: "It means a huge amount to stand here today and remember the men and women I served beside in Iraq, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice and never came home. 

"Not a day goes by that many of us don't think about those moments, the friendships, the fear, the courage, and the lives forever changed by that conflict."

A reading will then be given by Dame Sharon Nesmith DCB ADC, alongside stories from veterans from the end of the conflict, before music from mezzo-soprano Laura Wright, US singer Will Brown, and the Military Wives Choirs.

The service will conclude with a flypast by an RAF Chinook. 

This article will be updated throughout the day as the event progresses.