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Gurkha soldiers returned to a rapturous welcome in Folkestone on Sunday at the end of a six-month tour of Afghanistan.

A welcome home party was held for soldiers from A company of the Second Battalion of the Royal Gurkha Rifles at Sir John Moore Barracks in Shornecliffe.

The 120 Gurkhas flew into Kent International Airport the same day. They were greeted at the airport by the sound of traditional pipes and drums.

• See the Gurkhas touching down at Kent International Airport in the video above (footage courtesy Mnistry of Defence)

On their six-month tour the Gurkhas were based in Musa Qal'eh in northern Helmand province. Their worked helped to secure the area for Afghan civilians and killed many Taliban insurgents.

There was a hint of sadness to the day. The Gurkhas remembered Rifleman Yubraj Rai who was shot in a Taliban ambush and Colour Sergeant Krishna Dura, who was blown up in his vehicle in Afghanistan in November.

The battalion's commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Chris Darby said: "We're delighted to be back, but clearly we lost some good men. Our thoughts now turn to their families and to ensuring that they are looked after."

Fellow soldiers from B company still remain on operational duty in Afghanistan.

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