75 'taliban Fighters' Killed in Helmand Offensive

A UK-led offensive against Taliban militants in southern Afghanistan has killed 75 suspected insurgents in often heavy fighting, a British officer said today.

One UK soldier was injured in battles in the Sangin valley, in the southern Helmand province, Major Dominic Biddick told an Associated Press reporter travelling with the troops. Fighting began yesterday morning.

"The operation went better than most people had anticipated," Maj Biddick said. "At one point, there were six companies in clashes at the same time."

As well as killing 75 suspected militants during "a full day of fighting", he said the force of more than 3,000 British, Danish and Afghan government troops had detained several others and discovered an arms cache.

The battles saw British troops, backed by artillery and helicopters take on Taliban fighters armed with rockets and mortars.

Before the advance, Nato troops had used leaflets and radio broadcasts to urge civilians in the valley to leave. Some began returning today to see what had happened to their homes and livestock.

Yesterday, the US military said 136 suspected insurgents had been killed in three days of separate fighting in Herat province in the west of Afghanistan - the deadliest clashes in the country since January.

It also said US special forces and Afghan troops had already killed more than 150 militants in the Sangin area over the past three weeks.

The US attack in Herat prompted hundreds of Afghans to protest yesterday, chanting: "The Americans are killing us. We are innocent."

The dual assaults are part of Operation Achilles, the biggest anti-Taliban operation so far mounted by Nato forces in the country.

The Sangin valley operation is intended to push Taliban forces out of southern Afghanistan, securing it for the country's western-backed government.

Nato troops plan to remain in the valley until Afghan soldiers have built patrol bases to prevent militants from returning, and are not targeting farmers' crops of opium poppies to avoid stirring up local resentment.

Maj Biddick said people would soon see the benefits of removing the Taliban, adding: "Afghans are very rational. They will make a judgment once they have seen that we have delivered."

In recent weeks, there has been an upsurge in violence in Afghanistan after a winter lull. Militants loyal to the Taliban, which ruled the country before the US-led invasion in late 2001, have stepped up attacks.

Previously, much of the violence had centred on the south of the country, but it has spread.

Two weeks ago, a suicide bomber killed at least nine policemen on a police training ground in the northern city of Kundiz. It was the worst attack in the city since the fall of the Taliban.