A Liverpool former soldier whose best friend died saving his life in Afghanistan feels 'betrayed'

Even after he experienced the horror of war in Afghanistan, Private Charlie Emina, a former soldier from Liverpool still believed they were there to do the right thing.

Now after the Taliban took control over the country once again, he's been left questioning 'was it worth it?'

There isn't a day goes by when he doesn't think of his best friend old Private Thomas Sephton or 'Sefo' as he knew him from Warrington and his other fallen comrades.

Thomas was sitting next to Charlie during a mission to clear a route of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) around a patrol base in Helmand when their vehicle was caught in an explosion in 2010.

20 year old Private Sephton from the Cheshire regiment, 1 Mercian was flown home and died the next day of his injuries. His family were at his bedside.

Private Sephton and Private Steven Birdsall who were friends at school died within days of each other.

They were among 547 British troops to lose their lives in Afghanistan during the conflict, hundreds more suffered life changing injuries and others have taken their own life after returning home unable to deal with what they saw.

Private Emina said he was proud to serve his country and help the people of Afghanistan and felt they had made a difference.

Now he says for the coalition forces to just leave without ensuring a stable regime was in place, then they have failed us and failed the people of Afghanistan they promised to help.

He says there once again there's no support now for the veterans suffering PTSD and flashbacks. He says 'everything is geared for war', but this is all back in the headlines yet we 'are forgotten about'.

Video report by Elaine Willcox with the first TA volunteers to help the peacekeeping forces in October 2002

In October 2002, The first Territorial Army Unit, The Lancastrian and Cumbrian Volunteers joined the peacekeeping forces in Kabul. They were there to support the regulars and help the Afghan people.

They weren't seen as an occupying force, in sharp contrast to American troops they made a point of patrolling where people lived to help 'win hearts and minds' and create a safer country.

I joined them in Kabul and everywhere we went people told us they wanted to the troops to stay, such was the fear of the Taliban regime.

It was still a dangerous place, our military aircraft was shot at as we landed in Kabul and a car bomb killed more than 30 people on our first day.

But we saw young people flying kites and playing football, everyday scenes we take for granted but that was banned by the Taliban.

The young girls at school told us 'we need the troops to stay for a generation' to ensure the threat from the Taliban had ended and they could continue their education.

Two decades on, women and girls fear they will be 'erased' from Afghan daily life again.