THREE Territorial Army soldiers from Hereford have joined colleagues from the West Midlands Regiment and the international community who are helping to bring peace and security to the war weary people of the Afghan capital Kabul.

Colour Sergeant Barrie Matthews and Privates Archie Gemmell and Kevin Williamson are part of a 50-strong unit from the West Midlands Regiment assisting after years of Taliban repression.

Col Sgt Matthews, 43, from Belmont, is a former regular soldier and has been in the TA for 23 years. He said: "I was in the regulars for seven years but now I work as a linesman for Aquila electricity.

"In the regular Army I travelled to the US, Northern Ireland and Cyprus but coming here has been a real culture shock, you just don't realise what it's like until you get here.

"I have enjoyed meeting the people and seeing the diversity of the culture and the friendliness of the population towards the British troops and of course seeing the country itself."

Pte Archie Gemmell, 38, from Belmont, is also an ex-regular soldier and works at Sun Valley in Hereford.

His wife Alison is a teacher at Kingstone and Thruxton Primary School and the couple have two children, Mia, two, and Chad, four.

He said: "I spent 12 years as a regular soldier in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) and travelled all over to Kenya, Canada, the US, Italy, Germany, Brunei and Hong Kong.

"The highlight for me of this has been the whole experience of coming out here and seeing what the place is like. I have been to Africa before but never to anywhere like this."

Pte Williamson, 42, has been in the TA for 12 years and also works at Sun Valley as a machine technician.

His previous deployments include a peacetime operational tour of the Falklands in 1995 but this is his first time in Afghanistan.

"I really feel as if I am doing something worthwhile to reassure people we are here to help them."

All three soldiers parade regularly at the TA centre in Harold Street, Hereford.