‘Stray bullet entered the muzzle of gun’

LIEUTENANT Nick Allen-Perry, 15 Platoon commander with Alpha Company, said the soldiers were under constant fire.

“The firefights were happening on a daily basis usually against teams of six Taleban who knew the terrain, which made it difficult,” he said.

“Thankfully, the local people took to us and were giving us intelligence. They wanted to see a change. The firefights were exciting, but strangely they were very much like our training. You are almost surprised at how effective the training is.

“One of the guys had a lucky escape. In one firefight, we were all under fire and one gunner was fortunate not to have been killed. A stray bullet actually entered the muzzle of his machine gun. He didn’t realise until afterward and couldn’t believe his luck.

“But the whole experience has been totally rewarding. You can see the difference you are making. You are seeing day to day a real positive impact. The locals have basically seen fighting all their lives. They have lived through war since the 70s when the Russians were there, then civil war and the Taleban.

“They are saying it is the first time they have felt safe. They had never seen peace before.”