Military helicopters were seen flying above Salford yesterday.
The Puma helicopters were spotted over areas including Irlam and Cadishead at around 4pm on Monday (January 4).
They were also seen elsewhere in Gloucester, Stafford and Chester.
A spokesman for the RAF confirmed the helicopters were conducting “essential pre-deployment training” before going to Afghanistan later this year.
This is to support Operation Toral, the codename for British presence within Afghanistan post-2014 as part of NATO's Resolute Support Mission.
In a social media post, RAF Benson said: “Puma helicopters are expected to be in the Gloucester, Stafford, Chester and Manchester areas today.
“They are conducting essential pre-deployment training prior to deployment to Afghanistan and may use authorised landing sites in the areas.
“They may also be fitted with general purpose machine guns but will not be armed so do not be alarmed.”
