320 Duluth-based National Guard soldiers to deploy

DULUTH (AP) -- About 320 members of the Minnesota Air National Guard are headed to Iraq again.

Guard officials with the Duluth-based 148th Fighter Wing announced the deployment Friday and said most of the soldiers would head to Balad Air Force Base in Iraq.

Some will arrive as soon as this month, but the biggest group of the 148th will deploy overseas in November. Officials said most of the soldiers will be away from home during the holidays, with deployments lasting between 30 days and four months.

It's the third major deployment for the 148th and the first since the unit returned from Balad Air Force base in 2007.