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Herald reporting team fly out to Afghanistan

A reporting team from the Plymouth Herald has travelled to Afghanistan to report on the efforts of hundreds of personnel from the South West who are currently serving in the country’s dangerous southern Helmand Province.

Defence reporter Tristan Nichols and photographer Lucy Duval arrived in Kandahar in Afghanistan earlier this week, and will spend the next few days filing stories and pictures from 3 Commando Brigade’s base at Camp Bastion.

  • Peter
  • They are joined by Western Morning News man Peter Harrison, (right), whose paper is also taking photos from Lucy. He is also filing daily stories and colour pieces – for the WMN.

    The trio hope to get an insight into life at the camp and speak to as many Plymouth Royal Marine commandos as possible.

    Tristan has already reported on his tense journey in to Kandahar in the dead of night and his first few hours in the war zone.

    He said: “Our flight over to Afghanistan was never going to be anything short of a bumpy ride.

    “This landing – the first ever time a Tristar military passenger jet has landed in Kandahar – was the moment nerves overtook my excitement for the trip.

    “Before I could think of anything witty to say to hide my nerves the lights dimmed and the cabin was left in complete darkness.

    “For once in my life I was glad I chose the aisle seat fearing a stray Taliban bullet might make its way towards us. I kept thinking to myself ‘are Tristar’s armoured like Hercules aircraft?’

    “I was later told that the Ministry of Defence had chosen to break the norm and use a Tristar for the trip because so many troops – around 200 – were making the journey to Kandahar.

    “The runway had also recently been extended to allow for such aircraft. Sadly I wasn’t told until after. The troops felt safe, I did not.”

    Tristan has also filed his first exclusive, revealing that Plymouth Royal Marine commandos – currently three months into a six-month deployment – are to be re-deployed there in 12 to 18 months time.

    The current deployment to Helmand is already the second for many marines, who helped to build the two-kilometre by one-kilometre Camp Bastion in the spring.

    And yesterday he was flown by Chinook helicopter to the city of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand Province, where 3 Commando Brigade’s headquarters are based, where he spent the night.