60 Edinburgh soldiers back from Afghanistan for Christmas

Around 60 Edinburgh based soldiers and their families received a festive boost today after it was announced they will be home in time for Christmas.

The soldiers from Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland will be returning on Wednesday, three months earlier than expected.

The early return is part of the planned troop withdrawal which will see the number of soldiers in Afghanistan reduced by 500. The soldiers, who are based at Dreghorn barracks in Edinburgh, were deployed in September for a six-month tour of the Helmand Province.

There they trained Afghan security forces and have been able to hand over some of the bases to Afghan control earlier than thought. As a result, the entire Battalion is no longer needed. After Christmas, the soldiers will spend the rest of the tour in Edinburgh carrying out duties at Dreghorn.