500 Royal Welsh soldiers arrive in Helmand
15 Dec 09
The first of five hundred extra British troops deploying to Afghanistan stepped off a C-130 Hercules aircraft at Camp Bastion in the early hours of this morning.
The first of the 500 soldiers from 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh step off a C-130 Hercules at Camp Bastion in Helmand province
[Picture: Sergeant Keith Cotton, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]
The soldiers landed at 0505hrs today, Tuesday 15 December 2009.
The soldiers are from 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh and set off initially from their headquarters at Dale Barracks in Chester.
Stepping off the plane into the cold night air of Camp Bastion, Corporal Andrew Wrigley said:
"It feels good, we've come to back-up the guys who are already here and hopefully make a bit of a difference."
Second Lieutenant John Murphy said:
"It feels like you're doing an important job. It's good to finally get out here."
Fusilier Calvin Owen added:
"We've just been waiting to get out here really, so we're out here now, let's do the job. It's good."
Soldiers of 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh arrive at Camp Bastion
[Picture: Staff Sergeant Stu McKenzie, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]
The troops will undergo a special in-theatre training package before deploying onto the ground alongside the 9,000 other British troops in Afghanistan.
In the coming weeks and months, it is expected the soldiers of 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh will conduct a variety of roles, including the mentoring of the Afghan National Army and Police.
The 500 soldiers from 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh, who arrived in Afghanistan today, were those announced by Prime Minister Gordon Brown on 30 November 2009.
Announcing the deployment, Mr Brown said the additional troops will bring security to the Afghan people, strengthen the local and national government, and support the Afghan Army and police to take over responsibility for security. See Related News >>>