Troops set for Afghanistan test

THEIR kit is packed, last-minute training complete and they have said an emotional goodbye to wives and children.

At 2am today the first 100 soldiers from the Edinburgh-based 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland were due to set off for Afghanistan.

The rest of the 400 troops will be flying out over the next week. They will be replacing the 3rd Battalion The Rifles, who will shortly be returning to Redford Barracks.

The soldiers will spend six months in the war zone training and mentoring the Afghan security forces. Many have already lost friends to the conflict, and are in no doubt of the dangers they face. Four soldiers from 3 Rifles have been killed this month alone.

Private Richard Harvey, 28, from Wester Hailes, will be leaving his wife Jennifer with their three young daughters.

He said: "I'm a bit apprehensive. I've done a tour of Bosnia and three tours of Iraq, but this will be different. It's really hard for my wife, and she's obviously worried about it. She'll have to answer all the children's questions.

"The youngest two get clingy when they see me with my desert combats on. They know I'm going to Afghanistan, but I don't think they understand what it is. It's not something a five-year-old needs to know.

"Two guys I knew from 1 Scots were killed there. That's when it really hit home to me."

One company from 1 Scots are already in Afghanistan, attached to 3 Rifles. The rest have spent the last nine months carrying out intensive training as far away as Brunei, where they learned to spot improvised explosive devices.

Yesterday, one of their final sessions focused on coping with stress and looking out for signs that colleagues are struggling. Now those who are left will spend the last few days with their families, or relaxing at Dreghorn Barracks and finishing packing.

Lance Corporal Peter Paterson, 25, a father-of-three from the Southside, recently held a goodbye party with his family. He has already served in Iraq, where he saved the life of another soldier following a drive-by shooting.

He said: "I'm actually looking forward to going, although I've just got to the nervous stage. The Afghan National Army are meant to be really good to work with. But my wife Maxine is very nervous and a bit teary. The children think I'm going on a long plane trip.

"It's going to be very different from Iraq. The Taleban are more clued up and more aware of their tactics. The death toll says it all."

The soldiers will fly to Kandahar Airport, and then travel to Camp Bastion. The battalion will form part of the Catterick-based 4 Mechanised Brigade, who will command Task Force Helmand.

Major Richard Forsyth, the commanding officer of C Company, 1 Scots, said: "It's exciting, although I'm slightly anxious. I think they all are, but we're all determined to get on with the job. They've had very thorough training for the last eight or nine months and we're ready to go.

"They don't want to leave their families and friends, but they joined the army for excitement and adventure, and they're going to get it."