Being a leader of Kent troops fighting in northern Helmand Province in Afghanistan has been easier of late.

Contacts on the frontline with the Taliban have been low over the last few days to the north and south of Musa Qal’eh District Centre.

Morale is high as it is thought fighting between soldiers from the Second Battalion of the Royal Gurkha Rifles and enemy insurgents has led to the death of some high level Taliban commanders.

However, for Company Sergeant Major (CSM) Ramkumar Rai in Patrol Base Woqab, things have not always been this easy.

Reporter Chris Price has been out in Afghanistan with Kent's troops. Here is his latest report.

"During the tour here in Afghanistan we have had four friendly casualties and three civilian casualties. All were caused by Taliban ambushes," he said.

"It was a very sad moment to see members of our regiment shot. It was hard for me to reassure them, especially in incidents where they had both entry and exit wounds.

"It is so difficult to say to someone 'don’t worry, you will be okay' when you are not sure if that will be the case. In this type of operation it is not easy to comfort yourself if you are wrong and you lose someone."

WO2 (Warrant Officer Second Class) Rai is CSM of B Company of 2RGR. He will have held the post for two years in June. He was given the task of picking up the troops after Rfn Yubraj Rai was shot and killed last year following a Taliban ambush.

"He was a brilliant lad. He was never late for anything and he was very loyal and devoted in his duty.

"It was not easy to pick the guys up when Yubraj was killed because there are different levels of soldier in the company.

"Some are senior and understand losing friends is a part of war but some of the guys are young and it made me worry about them. I explained to them that this is what war is like and that was a shock to some."

In his 18-year career WO2 Rai has been on seven tours including Sierra Leone and East Timor. He ranks the tour in East Timor and his current one as the two joint most challenging he has served.

"It’s certainly my busiest appointment. I have been a jungle warfare instructor and a military tracking instructor and they were tough. This is not necessarily the hardest job I’ve done but it is certainly the busiest.

"As soon as I get up I’m saying to people 'you do that and you do this'. I always have to organise things and if something goes wrong people come to me to fix it.

"When I’m on leave I have a nice time - but I’m always thinking about what will come next for my company. It's a round the clock job."

At the end of his tour in April WO2 Rai will return to wife Shashi, 32, and nine-year-old son, Arun at the Service Family Accommodation in Shornecliffe, near Folkestone.

"My family know this is a post I will not hold forever. The maximum time to hold this job is two-and-a-half years so they are counting the days until I finish.

"They are proud that I have taken on this commitment. I will have been CSM for two years in June and then I will be replaced if there is someone appropriate available to do the job."

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