TA soldier brothers Rayhon and Bejan Shambayati flew more than 3,500 miles to take part in a training exercise at a remote camp in the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan.

The brothers, both former pupils of Castlebrook High School, were among a 140-strong contingent of the 4th Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (4LANCS), who spent the last two weeks taking part in the NATO exercise working alongside the airmobile forces of the Army of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as a smallgroup of US soldiers.

The aim was to rehearse peace support tactics commonly used in military operations in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan. The Kazakh soldiers were also being evaluated by NATO assessors for possible inclusion in such operations in the future.

Twenty-one-year-old Lance Corporal Rayhon Shambayati has experience of peace support operations, having served a recent six-month tour in Basra, Iraq.

In his four years as a TA soldier, he has also trained in Belgium, Italy and Switzerland.

Younger brother Fusilier Bejan Shambayati (18) followed in his footsteps by joining the TA earlier this year and quickly earning the nickname by which every soldier now knows him in 4LANCS - Babysham!

Rayhon said: "This training has been very relevant to the stuff that we did out in Iraq, with sections attacks, stopping vehicles and things like that. It has been a good training exercise being out here in Kazakhstan. They are really friendly and are keen to learn.

"I got my medal for serving in Iraq when we had a parade earlier this year in Lancaster and that was a very proud moment for me. It is something that reminds me of the tour.

"Being in the TA offers me the best of both worlds - I keep my civilian lifestyle and am also a soldier. It has also given me opportunity to build up my skills. I am about to start a fast-track course which will give me HGV driving qualifications."

Bejan added: "My brother was in Iraq when I joined the TA.

"I had been hanging out with some of my brother's friends who were in the TA and I started to get interested in it. At the time I was not doing much at home and I thought I might as well give it a go.

"My aim now is to build up my skills." Bejan and Rayhon, from Whitefield, are the sons of Sharon, a mental health nurse, and the late Saeed. They have an older brother Rahmin (25).