Afghanistan: 400 Militants Killed in Us Helmand Mission, Says Colonel

US marines in southern Afghanistan have killed 400 Islamist militants in the past three months, one of their commanders said today.

Colonel Peter Petronzio, the commander of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, said the figure came from the governor of Helmand province, where his troops have been deployed since late April.

Around 2,200 US marines were posted to the town of Garmser, in Helmand province, in an effort to rid the area of pro-Taliban fighters. After months of fighting with insurgents around the town, Petronzio said, the area was more stable but not yet secure.

"The Taliban proved they wanted to fight for Garmser and we took the fight to them," he said.

Petronzio said Nato and Afghan forces remained committed to driving insurgents out of the region, which is an important gateway for fighters smuggling weapons from Pakistan. "If the Taliban are waiting for us to leave, they will have a very long wait," he said.

More than 2,100 people ? mostly Islamist militants ? have been killed in insurgency-related violence in Afghanistan this year. More than 8,000 people died in attacks last year, according to the United Nations, the most since the 2001 US-led invasion.

Last week, the Pentagon announced it had extended the tour of the 2,200 marines in Afghanistan, after insisting for months that the unit would go home on time. The unit will stay an extra 30 days and will go home in early November rather than October, US officials said.

A count by the Associated Press found that at least 45 international troops, including 27 from the US and 13 from Britain, died in Afghanistan last month, compared with 31 international soldiers killed in Iraq, of whom 29 were from the US. It was the second consecutive month that more troops were killed in Afghanistan than in Iraq, where international forces suffered their deadliest month since the 2001 US-led invasion.

A report by the Pentagon in June forecast that the Taliban would maintain or increase the rate of attacks along the Pakistan border where US troops operate. Attacks are already up by 40% this year from 2007.

Fighting between militants and international troops is intensifying in the southern half of Afghanistan. AP's tally places the total death toll at 2,100 in the past six months.