A U.S. Navy F/A-18C Hornet aircraft takes on fuel from an Air Force KC-10 Extender aircraft from the 908th Expeditionary Aerial Refueling Squadron during a combat patrol over Afghanistan on Dec. 11, 2008. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon, U.S. Air Force. (Released)Britain Details Muddy Battles With Taliban
In Afghanistan -- Yahoo News/AFP
In Afghanistan -- Yahoo News/AFP
LONDON (AFP) – British, Afghan and coalition forces captured four key Taliban strongholds in southern Afghanistan during a massive operation that saw them fight at close quarters, knee-deep in mud, it emerged Sunday.
Britain's Ministry of Defence released details of the operation, which was fought over 18 days around the town of Nad-e-Ali in Helmand province and left five members of the British forces and around 100 Taliban fighters dead.
More than 1,500 troops were involved, making it one of the largest operations mounted by the Royal Marines since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. It culminated in a battle on December 25, Christmas Day.
"Almost every day we were involved in intense firefights ranging from rocket-propelled grenades and small arms 'shoot-and-scoots' to four-hour battles with the enemy forces as close as 30 metres," said Captain David Glendenning, commander of the marines' artillery support team.
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