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Troops 'attack key Taleban base' Battle to retake key Taleban town
(about 4 hours later)
Taleban fighters defending the strategic Afghan town of Musa Qala in Helmand province say they are under attack from British and Afghan troops. International and Afghan troops have begun a major offensive to retake a strategic town in southern Afghanistan from the Taleban, Nato sources said.
Nato says Afghan and British ground troops used heavy gunfire against the Taleban on the outskirts of Musa Qala.
It says the main assault will be carried out overnight by US soldiers who have been dropped in by helicopter.
The Taleban say they have 2,000 troops defending the town in Helmand province, which they seized in February.
Musa Qala is the only substantial town the Taleban holds in Afghanistan. For now, they say they are holding their ground.
The BBC's David Loyn, in Kabul, says the town has been the main centre of drugs trading in the country since the Taleban moved in in February and has taken on symbolic importance for both sides.
'First significant move'
Friday's attack by British and Afghan forces began in the afternoon, from three directions. Further raids are expected to be carried out on Saturday.
The main assault is being conducted overnight by US troops, who were deployed just before sunset, and have the added advantage of night vision equipment, Nato said.
The Taleban defences include hundreds of mines.The Taleban defences include hundreds of mines.
Musa Qala has been the main centre of drugs trading in Afghanistan since the Taleban moved in February. The Taleban rejected an offer from the governor of the province to lay down their arms, and late on Friday, he told the BBC that the problem of Musa Qala was "being sorted".
The Taleban takeover was in contravention of a deal brokered with tribal elders when British troops withdrew from the town last year.
First significant move
The local Taleban commander says the attack began on the afternoon on Friday and came from three directions.
He said that British troops and Afghan army soldiers were moving together on the ground and there had been exchanges of fire.
The BBC's David Loyn in Kabul says: "This is the first significant move since the operation to take Musa Qala began on Tuesday.
"It is the first big test of the new Afghan army who are to take the lead in the offensive," he says.
There has been no immediate confirmation of the attack from British sources, although the governor of Helmand province said on Friday morning that the assault was under way.
The Taleban say they have more than 2,000 fighters ready for the defence of Musa Qala, the only substantial town they hold.
For now, they say they are holding their ground.
Hundreds of local people fled after tribal elders were told of the attack and warning leaflets dropped from the air.Hundreds of local people fled after tribal elders were told of the attack and warning leaflets dropped from the air.
A British soldier was killed and two injured when their vehicle was destroyed by a remote-controlled explosion on Tuesday, the first day of the operation. Controversial deal
The Taleban claim that another vehicle was destroyed on Thursday. That has been denied by a British spokesman. The Taleban takeover of Musa Qala was in contravention of a deal brokered with tribal elders when British troops withdrew from the town last year.
The highly controversial move was portrayed at the time as a "win-win" situation, with the Taleban and British pull-out leaving local forces to assume control of local government.
British officers maintained it was a redeployment rather than a withdrawal; freeing them up to take on Taleban forces in other parts of Helmand.
It was even suggested that it could act as a model for reducing violence in the volatile province. But the deal was strongly criticised by some Afghan and US officials.