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The court heard Cpl Roberts had extensive frontline experience having served in places such as the Helmand province.

When British forces were sent to Helmand in 2009, the British Army had more than 100,000 regular troops.

New evidence that emerged last week in court also showed that the MoD appeared to have rejected out of hand some applicants who served with UK Special Forces in Afghanistan after 2014 - when Britain's conventional armed forces left Helmand province - without even referring them to UK Special Forces headquarters for sponsorship.

Luke joined the Army straight after finishing school and was 18 when he started the first of three front-line deployments in Helmand Province in 2007.

In August 2021, seven years after the withdrawal of British troops and 20 years since the war began, the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, including Helmand Province.