TA man is Kabul bound

A former Elizabeth College pupil will be leading 55 men on a peace-keeping mission to Afghanistan later this year.

The Rifle Volunteers of the South West Territorial Army will be travelling to the capital, Kabul, under the command of Captain Jean-Paul Quertier, who was born and raised in Guernsey.

The reserves are due to arrive in Kabul in November and will be there for three months.

Captain Quertier said: "It's a fantastic opportunity and one that rarely presents itself for a TA officer to command a relatively large group of reserves in an operational theatre.

"However, that is coupled with the thought of being away from my family for Christmas."

The reserves will be attached to a regular infantry company and their job will be help patrol two of the 11 police districts.

Other TA units have been performing similar roles on a rotational basis over the last 12 months.