THIS week, one of Britain's top military commanders said the war against the brutal Taliban insurgents could never be won.

Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith, the British commander in Helmand province, said the aim of the Nato-led mission was to ensure the Afghan army could manage the country on its own, and that a level of insurgency would have to be accepted.

But as troops from Plymouth-based 42 Commando Royal Marines prepare to deploy to the dangerous southern Afghanistan province, Major Dan Cheeseman of Taunton's 40 Commando explains that his colleagues' latest mission will not only improve the country's security, but will also build on the huge humanitarian inroads made by his troops on their last tour of Helmand.

Last October, nearly 800 soldiers left their barracks at Norton Fitzwarren, near Taunton, to begin a six-month deployment to Camp Bastion. The brave troops battled Taliban insurgents and terrorists on a day-to-day basis, facing rocket attacks and roadside bombs with terrifying regularity.

But beyond the gruelling combat, the Marines were at the heart of a community project that has transformed the lives of hundreds of children in Sangin.

Maj Cheeseman said: "Obviously, our role was to support the Afghan security services and fight the Taliban, which we did a lot of, but one of our other objectives was to help with community projects and help the Afghan authorities build an infrastructure for their people, which is why we became involved with the school."

Bravo Company, led by Maj Cheeseman, patrolled the streets of Sangin during their tour and transformed the area and the once empty bazaar into a bustling focal point. As public confidence began to return, the Marines' next task was to rebuild the war-torn primary school.

Maj Cheeseman said: "When we got there, there were lots and lots of children swarming around us shouting 'pin, pin'. At first, we weren't sure what they meant – whether it was an English word they'd picked up or a word in their own language. But we found out that they were trying to say 'pen'. They were desperate for materials to write and draw with.

"These people literally have nothing and live in squalor by comparison to what we are used to in this country. But they were so keen to learn."

40 Commando's specialist Civil-Military Co-operation (CIMIC) team worked with their colleagues from the 69 Royal Gurkha Engineers Regiment to rebuild the school, left damaged by the Taliban, and to involve local people in the project.

Before long, teachers began to come forward to offer their skills and now, almost a year on, the school has 120 youngsters on its roll.

Bahaudin is the school's headmaster. He has been teaching in Sangin for seven years and says the Marines have helped to make the area safe enough for its doors to reopen, as well as being involved in the rebuilding and supply of vital teaching aids. "I am very happy now that there is enough security for the school to be open," he said.

"I have around 50 students attending daily lessons now, including girls. I am also looking for another teacher."

Tour Jan is 10 and one of the latest pupils to enrol. He walks 2km to get to the school every day and says writing is his favourite lesson.

Tour Jan has now set his sights on university, and even though the Taliban still tries to prevent him and his friends from having an education, he is determined not to be intimidated.

He said: "The Taliban have caught me going to school once. They told me if they caught me going again they would kill me. I hide my books when I walk to school now."

Maj Cheeseman said he and his men have been humbled by the determination of the children, and explained that an education gives them hope in a society where they have little else to cling to.

He said: "One boy told me there were some Taliban on the bridge he has to cross to get to school, so he was walking another way to avoid them.

"They're not so much the hard-core Taliban as disaffected teenagers who are jealous that the younger kids now have the chance to go to school and have an education.

"Aside from drugs and extremism, there isn't always anything else for children to get involved in, so school gives them something else to focus on."

Lieutenant Pete Ryan, part of the CIMIC team, said breathing life back into the local school has had an immeasurable impact on the lives of the youngsters and their parents.

He said: "We can't underestimate the effect it has to hear the sound of children playing in the school again. Many of them have never been to school but now they can pursue an education with confidence."

40 Commando has also been working to create links between Helmand province and Somerset, organising a link between Queen's College Junior School in Taunton and the school in Sangin. The partnership has helped the Afghan youngsters understand more about the role of the allied forces who patrol their streets.

The Queen's College pupils have been using their art classes to create images that have been sent to Sangin to decorate the school.

The idea was to show the youngsters, many of whom are orphaned due to decades of fighting, that they have the support of British people and youngsters their own age.

Queen's College Junior School's head teacher Justin Backhouse hopes the partnership will continue long into the future, so both sets of pupils can follow each other's progress.

He said: "It is very important that children in this country understand and appreciate what is happening in Afghanistan, and we at Queen's hope that providing some of our art work, teaching and sports equipment might make the lives of the children of Sangin seem a little more normal and enjoyable."

One Queen's College pupil in Year 8 with a special interest in Afghanistan is Daniel Moss, whose father Kevin is 40 Commando's Regimental Sergeant Major. Daniel said: "I'm glad we are going to help orphaned Afghan children, who don't get many opportunities compared to us. I hope that our artwork and sports equipment will help their education."

The school has now been open for almost a year and a secondary school has opened just a few kilometres away, giving teenagers a chance to grasp some form of education in what remains a dangerous and deprived part of the world.

And Maj Cheeseman says the humanitarian work will continue with the next deployment of specialist troops from the West:

"42 Commando are about to go now, as well as other regiments, and they will be continuing the work we carried out on our last tour.

"The humanitarian side is very important, as well as the security, and makes a huge difference to people's lives.

"It builds trust and helps the locals to understand why we are there."

40 Commando are due to return to Afghanistan in 2010.