THE first evidence of the trauma suffered by troops fighting in Afghanistan has been revealed, with scores needing treatment for mental disorders.

More than 230 troops – 4% of the fighting force – were diagnosed with psychological ailments after a single six-month tour, newly released Ministry of Defence figures show.

The figures back up claims by the forces charity Combat Stress that the numbers of soldiers suffering posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental illnesses are dramatically worse than in other recent conflicts.

“We are seeing the bow wave of a much greater problem,” Toby Elliott, the charity’s chief executive, said. “The numbers are beginning to mount up.” The latest data cover the period from March to October 2007 when there were 5,700 British troops in Afghanistan. They show that 234 soldiers were diagnosed with psychological disorders when they returned home.

Kevin Miller, one of the veterans from Afghanistan whom Combat Stress are trying to help, blamed lack of troops and the intensity of the fighting for his own PTSD.

The 25-year-old former Royal Marine from Newcastle upon Tyne fought at the battle of Jugroom Fort in January 2007 in which he experienced fierce fighting. Four of Miller’s closest friends died on the tour.

The first thing he noticed on his return home was that he started drinking to excess. “Then I realised I was having real anger problems, struggling to adjust,” he said.

One of his biggest problems was anxiety brought on by the stark contrast between the desert base and the UK.

“I’d come back from what was a ghost town where all you do is fight and you notice the slightest thing that’s changed. Back here I was walking down a busy street with hundreds of people rushing past.”

He struggled to sleep. “I used to run through the whole operation at Jugroom Fort every night before I went to sleep. Then if I did get to sleep I’d wake up soaking wet.”

He was also sleepwalking. “I was wandering around the house thinking I was on patrol, sitting on the end of the bed saying, ‘Where’s me weapon? I can’t find my weapon’.”

Kevan Jones, defence minister, said he accepted there was a problem but the numbers were “still very small”. He appealed to soldiers who believe they have a problem to come forward. “Getting people to talk about mental health issues is important because the conditioning is to hide your feelings and if people present earlier then you can actually get help,” he said.

Brown vetoes reinforcements

GORDON BROWN has vetoed any further British involvement in the US troop surge in Afghanistan, according to senior defence sources.

The move has caused dismay within the British Army, whose commanders have requested an extra brigade of up to 3,500 men for Afghanistan.

It is also an embarrassment for John Hutton, the defence secretary, who has criticised Britain’s Nato partners for depending on the Americans to provide the bulk of Nato troops.

The prime minister has decided that since the US was prepared to dispatch 10,000 troops to Helmand, the most dangerous province in Afghanistan, Britain did not need to send any more.

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