The ruins of a former explosives factory echoed to the sound of machine guns as the 1Rifles battalion carried out their last training session before deployment to Afghan- istan.

Soldiers from the Beachley barracks launched a mock attack on an insurgent stronghold in preparation for their six-month tour of duty in Nar E Saraj District, located in the south of the country.

Their training took place at the army training area in Caerwent.

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This will be the battalion's third tour of Afghanistan, and the first time the unit will be going out as one battle group.

Captain Jim Bewley said: "We've spent the last six months training very hard and very accurately.

"Most people go out and do their job every day, but if you're in the infantry this may only be six months out of every two years when you're away on operations.

"So everyone is looking forward to it."

As part of the 3 Commando Brigade 'Taskforce Helmand' Battlegroup, 550 members of 1Rifles will take part in Operation Herrick 14.

The commanding officer of 1Rifles, Lieutenant Colonel James de Labillière, said the battalion's goal was to protect the communities in Afgha- nistan.

"This is really about allowing local com- munities to establish themselves, free from intimidation and the nefarious activity that the enemy has got up to," he said.

"That is what the people want, as well as the Afghan governors and tribal elders – so we are really there in support of them.

"It's a challenging environment and the work is difficult and dangerous.

"There is a high IED and small arms threat so we've been preparing to deal with that and there's some slightly softer challenges like making sure the relationships with tribal elders and the governance structure are properly looked after and cultivated."

He went on to praise the support the community had given the battalion, which included them being granted the Freedom of the Forest at a special ceremony in Coleford two years ago.

He said: "We've had some tremendous support from the Forest and it's really important to us. It means we can go and do our jobs knowing that our family, friends and community at home are backing us in what we're doing."