A MALVERN aid worker who went behind the lines in Afghanistan has told how he found people happily going about their daily business despite the ravages of war.

Chris Dyer, who returned home to North Malvern in time for Christmas, was based in Herat, in the north west of the country, with other members of an Oxfam humanitarian team.

They were there to carry out an assessment of how best to deliver aid, having carried out a similar assessment in Iran's eastern province of Sistan-Balughistan.

Mr Dyer said he went to Afghanistan with with a certain amount of trepidation but was actually quite surprised at what he found.

"All the infrastructure was destroyed after 20 years of war but in a lot of ways life was going on as normal," he said. "I didn't expect to find bazaars and markets trading and motorcycles on the road.

"People were a lot happier than I anticipated, I thought we would find them thoroughly miserable. After getting rid of the Taliban they are very positive about what the future holds."

For full story see Friday's (January 4) Malvern Gazette.