A LECTURER at a London university with a left-wing tradition has hit back at students who criticised him for teaching British soldiers.

Last week students revealed that the School of Oriental & African Studies (Soas) had taken £400,000 from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to give troops cultural advice about countries in Asia and Africa.

But one of the staff involved, Professor Gilbert Achcar, defended the scheme in a three-page open letter.