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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| UK troops lead attack on Taleban | UK troops lead attack on Taleban |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| British forces are taking part in a major military offensive against the Taleban in southern Afghanistan. | British forces are taking part in a major military offensive against the Taleban in southern Afghanistan. |
| Up to 3,000 Nato troops, including Afghans and US forces, are involved in the British-led Operation Silicon in the Sangin Valley, Helmand province. | Up to 3,000 Nato troops, including Afghans and US forces, are involved in the British-led Operation Silicon in the Sangin Valley, Helmand province. |
| BBC correspondent Alastair Leithead said the area was a Taleban stronghold and as troops moved forward, they were facing "considerable resistance". | |
| The operation aims to drive Taleban fighters from the opium-producing area. | The operation aims to drive Taleban fighters from the opium-producing area. |
| The BBC's correspondent said British troops had launched another offensive - Operation Silver - a few weeks ago and the current attack on the Taleban was an extension of that bid to push forward and gain ground. | |
| Insurgents killed | |
| A coalition statement said Nato-led forces and Afghan troops had also killed scores of Taleban fighters in the western province of Herat, near the border with Iran. | |
| It said 87 had been killed in a 14-hour battle in Shindand district on Sunday - 49 died two days earlier. | |
| About 30,000 coalition troops have been battling to reduce violence and boost the authority of President Karzai. | |
| Nato and Afghan soldiers launched what they described as their largest offensive against the Taleban in the south last month. | |
| Operation Achilles, involving more than 4,500 Nato troops and nearly 1,000 Afghan soldiers in northern Helmand province, aimed to bring security to the area. |