Published Saturday, 24 October 2009
The troops from the 2nd Battalion The Rifles are stationed at Abercorn Barracks in Ballykinler.
The soldiers were reunited with their families at the barracks on Saturday afternoon following their six-month tour of duty.
In July five men from the battalion lost their lives within 24 hours in a low point for the Army in Afghanistan. They died in two separate blasts while on foot patrol near Sangin, Helmand province.
Meanwhile, thousands of protesters gathered in London to urge the government to bring British troops home from Afghanistan.
Lance Corporal Joe Glenton, who is facing court martial for refusing to return to Afghanistan, is one of the first serving soldiers to attend an anti-war demonstration since the invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001.
L/Cpl Glenton said: "I am marching to send a message to Gordon Brown. Instead of sending more troops, he must bring them all home. He cannot sit on his hands and wait while more and more of my comrades are killed."
A total of 222 British troops have died since operations in Afghanistan began.
Jeremy Corbyn MP, vice-chairman of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said: "The war in Afghanistan has no clear war aims, is clearly escalating and spinning out of control and can only impact on Pakistan and the whole of South Asia.
"Nato forces have been in Afghanistan for eight years and the result appears to be increased drug production, high levels of corruption and terrible losses of life on all sides, civilian and military.
"Now is the time to change policy and bring the troops home to prevent Nato involving itself in a Vietnam-style quagmire."