British troops in Afghanistan celebrate Christmas Dec 25 2010

British troops in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province celebrated Christmas on Saturday (December 25) with a traditional feast.

Troops enjoyed themselves as they tucked into their turkey roast and received gifts sent to them from people back home.

Colonel Andrew Jackson, deputy commander of task forces, said Christmas means a lot to the soldiers who would normally be sharing the religious commemoration with their loved ones in the safety of their homes.

"And it's a time when traditionally back in England, we make quite a lot of the festival. As you can see behind us, we exchange gifts and these gifts have been sent out to soldiers from the United Kingdom. Its also a time when we think about our families at home and our thoughts are always with them," Colonel Jackson said.

But the morale is high in this cold and barren military outpost says British soldier Michelle McLaughlin.

"Oh yeah. Most definitely. Because obviously, you wake up in your house, with your family. Obviously there are presents and stuff and tradition, and you have a nice dinner and obviously you get drunk and that. But here it's like, you do, they have done it good because we still are having it, you know Christmas dinner and the morale is really high which is really good," McLaughlin said.

Britain has about 9,500 troops in Afghanistan, the bulk of which are in Helmand.

A war strategy review released by U.S. President Barack Obama last week found U.S. and NATO forces were making headway against the Taliban and al Qaeda but serious challenges remain.

The report said the Taliban's momentum had been arrested in much of Afghanistan and reversed in some areas. Seven-hundred foreign troops were killed in 2010 as of December 19, by far the deadliest year of the war since the Taliban were toppled in 2001.

Obama has promised to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from July 2011.

ENDS

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[rainybritania097]

when my dad is away it is horrible :( but when he comes home we always have an extra christmas dinner and he opens his presents. like it is happening thios year

[BlackRoof]

@ByrneenryB Britain said that Israel should exist WITHIN Palestine in 1917 in the Balfour Declaration, on condition that NO HARM came to the native people or culture.

The Zionists arrived as guests and immediately started making land grabs, both internally and externally against its cultural neighbours.

Now they mimick HITLER (seriously!) while any questining of there actions prompts the screams of "Anti-Semite" or "Nazi"!

Click my screen name to see raw footage of Zionist racism.

[SaxonSmileyFace]

0:15 the lad with the can in his mouth :P