COMING face to face with the Taliban is all in a day’s work for Lance Corporal James Tedham of B Company, 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment.

James, 24, from Tilston, is Second in Command of a section with 5 Platoon who are originally from the 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment and are attached to 2 Para.

He explained: “I ensure the lads are ready with their kit and I am in charge of their resupply of ammunition and keeping discipline both in camp and out on the ground. I also act as the team medic.”

Based on the edge of the notorious green zone in Forward Operating Base Inkerman in the Upper Sangin Valley (USV), 230 soldiers live in one of the most dangerous and austere bases that UK troops occupy. The USV is a hotbed for Taliban activity and the narcotics industry and FOB Inkerman stands in between the Taliban and the relatively safer Development Zone around Sangin to the south of the FOB.

The Paras go out on patrol with an 80% chance of coming into contact with the Taliban.

It is the first time a company has been based at FOB Inkerman during the summer fighting season for a full six months and it enables the troops to know their area of operations implicitly – what the normal pattern of life is and how their enemy operates.

This means the troops can remain one step ahead of the Taliban and strike them hard when they are not expecting it. Last week 25 Taliban were killed by these troops alone.

LCpl Tedham, who is married to Lucy who lives in Colchester where the battalion is based, said: “The hardest part of this tour is being away from my wife for so long and I miss going out mountain biking, canoeing and rock climbing.”

James worked as an outdoor pursuits instructor for the Abernethy Trust after finishing school at Christleton High.

“The best thing about being on operations is getting out on the ground and doing the job we were trained to do. There is a lot of sitting around in camp, getting bored and waiting for something to happen.

“Out here you do get a nice tan, but it is a dangerous place to get it!”