Operation Panther’s Claw (Panchai Palang) has already claimed the lives of six British soldiers.

The high casualty rate reflects the scale and intensity of the mission, which was launched two weeks ago to clear a part of central Helmand of Taleban insurgents.

Three thousand troops from three British battle groups, based around The Black Watch (3 Scots), the Light Dragoons and the Welsh Guards, have been engaged in one of the biggest offensives in Helmand since the campaign in southern Afghanistan began four years ago.

The operation has only been made possible by the arrival of thousands of US Marines in southern Helmand. The British troops had been stretched, attempting to hold the line against the Taleban in the north, south and central areas of the province.

The arrival of 4,000 US Marines taking over in Garmsir, in the south of the province, freed up about 1,000 troops of the Light Dragoons battle group, who had been located in the same area since they arrived in April.

The Light Dragoons moved up to Camp Bastion in central Helmand, providing Brigadier Tim Radford, the commander of the British Task Force, with an extra battle group to deploy where they could be used most effectively to take and hold ground in the centre, leaving the Americans to focus on the south.

The objective of Panther’s Claw is to clear the central part of the province, which is heavily populated although spread out, and to maintain permanent forward operating bases to protect the people from Taleban influence and intimidation.

Although the operation was not designed originally with the August election in mind, the gains that have been made will bring stability to a region where the Taleban has enjoyed relative dominance. Although the presidential election, on August 20, is still more than a month away, the presence of so many British soldiers, supported by members of the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police, is intended to reassure the local Afghans that they will be free to vote without interference from the Taleban.

The operation has demonstrated how dangerous Britain’s campaign continues to be, though, with the Taleban, well armed with rocket-propelled grenades and stocks of ready-made improvised explosive devices, causing causualties almost daily.

The 3,000 British troops participating in Panther’s Claw are concentrating on areas around the town of Babaji which, until now, has been a Taleban stronghold.

Panther’s Claw began with an airborne assault along the Nahr-e-Burgha canal, around ten miles to the north of Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital. The first phase saw more than 350 soldiers from The Black Watch 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 Scots) secure three crossing points along the waterway, to form a significant barrier to movement for the insurgent forces.

About 12 days ago the second phase began and the Welsh Guards, supported by Afghan troops, moved up the Shamalan canal to take control of 13 vital crossing points. Nearer Gereshk, in a co-ordinated move, Danish forces captured further crossings to cover the advance. It was tough fighting in sweltering temperatures.

With the insurgents disrupted, the third stage of the operation started in the early hours of July 3. More than 750 British and Afghan troops, including the Light Dragoons battle group and companies from The 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment, began sweeping through the area both in vehicles and on foot.

The operation is to continue over the next few weeks.

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