Soldiers from B Company First Battalion the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment are about to return to Paderborn in Germany after six months in Afghanistan.

They have been operating in a part of Helmand's Nahr-e-Saraj district that was heavily contested at the start of their tour but now seems increasingly stable.

Driving insurgents out of a rural area called the Barakzai Belt allowed the reopening of a school in late January.

Now, around 150 children study subjects including maths, Arabic and English.

The venture has been supported by the British Afghan Appeal Fund charity.

Major Ross Noott said: "We've gone from a situation of daily gun battles with the insurgents and heavy IED seeding to one now where you will notice as you walk around the AO that people are just confident and happy and just going about their routine business."

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