Two soldiers from Bradford are among thousands heading to Afghanistan for a six-month tour as British troops prepare to cut their numbers in the war-torn area by the end of the year.

Lance Corporal Daisy Burrough and Corporal Christopher McKone are among 6,500 military personnel from the 4th Mechanized Brigade being deployed on Operation HERRICK 17 in October.

They were at an event yesterday at the Army’s Bulford Camp on Salisbury Plains in Wiltshire, showing off their skills including marksmanship and search dog handling, through to illustrating the challenges of having to cook for thousands of soldiers, sailors and airmen on a daily basis.

The pair have spent nine months in training and will be in the lead formation of Task Force Helmand helping the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) in their mission to bring security and stability to the region.

Cpl McKone, from Woodside , is a Field Section Commander responsible for seven staff. The 38-year-old will help build new checkpoints in Helmand.

“We will be deconstructing bases being closed down and the ones that the ANSF do not require,” he said.

“This is my third tour in Afghanistan and I am quite looking forward to it. I am really excited because I know what to expect as I have been there before. I have been training quite long and hard for it.”

L/Cpl Burrough was just 19 when she completed her first tour of Afghanistan.

The 21-year-old, from Queensbury , heads back in a matter of weeks and will be on the frontline with the troops.

“I am a combat medical technician and will be helping soldiers on the ground,” she said. “We will be at the checkpoints. I am looking forward to it. Now I have seen it I know how to check it and what to look for when we are out there.

“I feel I will be more settled than last time. It is interesting and once you are with the lads you all look out for each other like family.

“Everybody knows each other’s jobs and how it all works.”

Up to 80 per cent of her work is treating colds and coughs and 20 per cent dealing with trauma injuries.

The 4th Mechanized Brigade, known as The Black Rats, is based in Catterick, but made up of units from across the UK, including a number of reservist as well as regular military units.

Approximately ten per cent of the personnel who deploy on Operation HERRICK 17 are reservists, including elements of 6 Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, the 103 Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, 243 (The Wessex) Field Hospital and 101st (Northumbrian) Regiment Royal Artillery.

They will be among the first to use the new FOXHOUND vehicles on operations, brought by the Government. The vehicles are robust enough to withstand the blast from an Improvised Explosive Device and have a top speed of 70 mph. The engine can also be removed and replaced in just 30 minutes and it can drive away from an ambush on only three wheels.