A British military operation in Afghanistan that seized heroin and other drugs worth £50million plus bomb-making facilities will "starve" the Taleban of crucial funds, defence chiefs said today.

Around 700 British and Afghan troops were involved in Operation Diesel, which captured four drugs factories in Helmand Province and disrupted facilities making improvised bombs between February 6 and 11, the Ministry of Defence announced.

The raid was carried out in the notorious Sangin Valley, known as Taleban heartland.

John Hutton, the Defence Secretary, praised the bravery of British troops and said the drug seizures were crucial in damaging the infrastructure of the Taleban, much of which is drug-fuelled.

“Our dedicated and professional forces have once again taken the fight to the enemy," the Defence Secretary said.

“Their bravery, coupled with the size and sophistication of our firepower, has cleared the enemy from large areas of Helmand bringing security and governance to more of the province.

“The seizure of £50 million worth of narcotics will starve the Taleban of crucial funding, preventing the proliferation of drugs and terror on the UK’s streets.”

Brigadier Gordon Messenger of the Royal Marines, Commander of Task Force Helmand, described the operation as “a clinical precision strike” which had given a significant boost to the Afghan authorities in their fight against the drugs trade.

It involved Afghan Security Forces and British troops from 45 Commando Royal Marines, 42 Commando Group Royal Marines, 3 Commando Brigade’s Reconnaissance Force, 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales Royal Regiment and the Armoured Support Group.

Sangin, a district with a population of around 50,000, is dominated by the Upper Sangin Valley, an area which has been a centre of enemy activity.

The MoD said Operation Diesel aimed to surprise enemy forces in the Sapwan Qualeh area, to disrupt insurgent and narcotics activity and to show that the Task Force and Afghan forces can strike with overpowering force.

Forces from 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales Royal Regiment and the Armoured Support Group distracted the Taleban by feigning a move into an area to the north of the real targets.

When the true attacks took place, many enemy troops fled, abandoning weapons and drugs equipment. Troops destroyed 1,295kg of wet opium which would have an estimated street value of over £6 million as heroin.

Chemicals used in the manufacture of heroin - ammonium chloride, acetic anhydride, sodium chloride and calcium hydroxide - were also found in quantities sufficient for the production of heroin with an estimated end street value of more than £50 million.

Troops also seized weapons and ammunition, including Ak47 assault rifles, PKM machine guns, numerous ammunition magazines and 3 RPG rocket launchers complete with additional warheads.

A motorbike modified for use in a suicide attack was also seized.

Brigadier Messenger said: “The links between the Taleban and the drugs trade are well proven and we know that the revenue from narcotics production directly funds the insurgency.“Operation Diesel was a clinical precision strike, supported by strong intelligence, which has had a powerful disruptive effect on known insurgent and narcotics networks in the area.

“The success of the operation is a significant boost to the Afghan authorities in their fight against the drugs trade.

“As a combined ISAF/Afghan team, we will continue to take every opportunity to strike at the linkage between the narcotics trade and the Taleban, the product of which brings so much misery to the Afghan people.”

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