ESSEX soldiers are serving in Afghanistan at “a time of very real change” in the country’s troubled history.

Lieutenant Colonel James Woodham, commanding officer of 1st Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment, said after his visits to his troops across Helmand, he felt “the tide is turning very fast against the Taleban”.

The unit, known as the Vikings, has been working to support other formations rather than running its own operations.

Lt Col Woodham, 42, compared the experience to “giving someone else your car keys”.

He said: “I would feel much more comfortable with my men under my control.” But, rather uniquely, the battalion will have four different stories to bring back from this tour.

“Our experiences here in Lashkar Gah will be very different to what the rifle companies are doing out in Gereshk, Musa Qaleh and Nad Ali. In our different ways, we have all played an important role in what has happened in Afghanistan since October.”

Lt Col Woodham said the counter-insurgency campaign against the Taleban was about “winning the people”, and highlighted the role of C (Essex) Company in Nad Ali.

The troops have benefited from the surge of British, American and Afghan forces into the area, through Operation Moshtarak. “It is changing the local dynamic, bringing an ungoverned area back in to government hands,” Lt Col Woodham said.

“Suddenly, our troops have been able to work with local people. Before they had formed a solid block against which the enemy regularly hit.

“In the important village of Khowshal Kalay, they’ve developed good links with the mosque and school and are really starting to make a difference.

“We are trying to convince the Afghan people they are better off under their government and pushing the insurgency to the margins.”

Lt Col Woodham said he “felt passionately” the campaign in Afghani-stan was making headway, but felt the British public did not understand what troops were doing and why.

He said: “The media concentrates on the negative aspects of the campaign, the casualties and cost, and doesn’t find the positive stories to be as sexy.

“There are a myriad of small local successes and communities and individuals are realising this is the right thing to do.

“We have not been very good at communicating what we are doing in Afghanistan, which boils down to denying terrorists a safe haven and delivering a more secure situation on the streets of Britain.”

But the progress Lt Col Woodham detects has not come without cost.

Two soldiers, both from C Company, have been killed and 22 injured.

He said: “Commanding soldiers is not a cold activity and comes with intense feelings. When we have a loss, it really hurts all of us in the battalion, rippling back through our families and into our recruiting area.”

Lt Col Woodham paid tribute to the resolution of his soldiers. He said: “It’s quite humbling to see the guys suffer the most exacting loss, get on and go back in to the same area to face the same threat.

“These young men are the heart of the British Army and the nation.

“At times, we are quick to have a go at the youth of today, but it is my experience that with a decent environment and training, they can do the most extraordinary things.”

Lt Col Woodham likened the life of troops in the patrol bases and checkpoints across Helmand to “the grimmest camping trip you could imagine, lasting six months and with people trying to kill you”.

He added: “But in even the most austere conditions, soldiers still have the facilities to make telephone calls home and have internet connectivity.”

The regiment is due to start returning home in late March.

Lt Col Woodham said: “We want to say a really big thank-you to everyone back in Essex.

“You will see us marching through the county’s streets this summer to show our appreciation.”