Nato launches offensive against Taliban
136 Taliban fighters killed in 3 days
Ap, Sangin Valley
Hundreds of British troops swept into the lush poppy fields of southern Afghanistan yesterday, drawing hostile fire at the start of a Nato operation to expel the Taliban from a valley stronghold. More than 3,000 Nato and Afghan troops are participating in the operation, the latest effort to bring Helmand province under the control of President Hamid Karzai. A long column of armoured vehicles brought several hundred British soldiers to the Sangin Valley, near the town of Gereshk and Afghanistan's strategic ring road that links the cities of Kandahar and Herat. The British soldiers came under attack from mortar rounds and machine-gun fire after they fanned out to patrol on foot. An Associated Press reporter travelling with the troops heard officers ordering British artillery units to respond. Three Apache helicopters flew overhead but didn't immediately open fire. There were no reports of casualties. In western Afghanistan, US-led coalition and Afghan forces battled with Taliban insurgents over three days, leaving at least 136 suspected militants dead, a coalition statement said Monday. The clashes in Herat province were the deadliest reported in Afghanistan since January and provoked angry protests by hundreds of villagers Monday, chanting "Death to America!"
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