The first of the 500 extra British troops stepped off a C-130 Hercules aircraft at Camp Bastion in the early hours of this morning, 15 December 2009.

The soldiers from The 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh (Royal Welsh Fusiliers) set off from their headquarters at Dale Barracks in Chester.

Stepping off the plane into the cold night air of Camp Bastion, Cpl Andrew Wrigley said: "It feels good. We've come to back-up the guys who are already here and hopefully make a bit of a difference."

2nd Lieutenant John Murphy said: "It feels like you're doing an important job. It's good to finally get out here."

Fusilier Calvin Owen: "We've just been waiting to get out here really, so we're out here now, let's do the job. It's good."

The troops will undergo a special in-theatre training package before deploying on to the ground alongside the 9,000 other regular troops that make up 11 Light Brigade.

In the coming weeks and months, it is expected the soldiers of 1 Royal Welsh will conduct a variety of roles to include the mentoring of Afghan National Army and Police.