A LOCAL politician flew into a warzone to visit British troops.

Brentford and Isleworth MP, Mary Macleod, went to meet soldiers at Camp Bastion in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, last weekend (November 18).

While there Ms Macleod learnt about the work the army had completed since their occupation and their plans for when they leave in 2014.

She also met locals from an Afghan village and spoke to British and US service men and women.

She said: “It was an amazing opportunity to meet with British forces in Afghanistan and see the outstanding work they are doing to create stability for the future.

“Much progress has also been made on delivering real change to local people in their daily lives. Under the Taliban, there were 1,000 schools, now there are 14,000 schools."

She added that under the Taliban no girls were educated and only eight per cent of the population had access to healthcare.

Now over three million girls are in education and 60 percent of the population can receive healthcare.

Ms Macleod is a squadron leader in the RAF Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme.