A SOLDIER who lost an arm while serving in Iraq is set to take part in one of the toughest challenges on the planet.

Captain Ibrar Ali, who lives near Eggborough, is now in Iceland training for the Walking With The Wounded South Pole Allied Challenge, which will see a team of injured former soldiers from the UK, the US and the Commonwealth cross the pole.

Capt Ali, who served with the 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, was awarded the Military Cross.

He said: “Training is going really well, we’re all feeling quite fit and strong. It’s good to see each other again, as we don’t always appear at fundraising events as a team.

“The hardest part so far has been learning all-new skills we will need when we get to the Pole. It’s a whole new ballgame for us even with a military background. Learning to ski one-handed was a challenge. Dealing with conditions in -40C and putting up a tent in winds of 20mph was difficult to learn too.”

Capt Ali, 36, was commanding a three-vehicle patrol when a roadside bomb killed the driver of his vehicle and badly injured two other soldiers in 2007.

Despite losing his right hand and being wounded in the left hand and right leg, he continued his command until help arrived. The team will be joined on the challenge by Prince Harry, and Capt Ali said the royal worked well with the group.

Capt Ali said: “Prince Harry has tried to fit in with us where he can and we’re reassured he’s doing a huge amount of his own training and he’s got experience from the North Pole, so he’s no stranger to the conditions. To be honest, he’s a really nice guy, down to earth.”

On Thursday, Capt Ali will appear at a special whisky tasting event organised by Glenfiddich, one of the team’s sponsors, giving a talk at the Royal York Hotel, the same day he flies back from Iceland.

He said the support from the various sponsors, and his friends and family, had been incredible, particularly from his five-year-old daughter, Zara.

To book a place on the talk and whisky tasting event on Thursday, go to spiritofanationyork.eventbrite.co.uk/

For more information on the expedition, which sets off in November, or to sponsor the team, go to facebook.com/walkingwiththewounded