Operation Panther's Claw hailed a success

A bitterly-fought British military operation in southern Afghanistan has ended in success with the Taliban being driven out of a former stronghold, senior officials said today.

Three thousand UK-led soldiers inflicted “significant” losses on insurgents in Helmand Province during the five-week Operation Panchai Palang, or Panther’s Claw.

But the gains came at a high cost, with nine British servicemen killed in action and several others still recovering in hospital from wounds sustained in the fighting.

Brigadier Tim Radford, commander of Task Force Helmand, said: “What we have achieved here is significant and I am absolutely certain that the operation has been a success.”