John Reid's hope that British troops could patrol southern Afghanistan without firing a single shot have been proved far from the truth, says Michael Evans, The Times Defence Editor, as the first British soldier dies in combat

"When the mission to Helmand was first described, fighting a counter-insurgency operation was not even mentioned. British troops were to go to southern Afghanistan to help stabilise the region, to work with the public and the Afghan police, to run counter-narcotics operations and help defend the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) based in Lashgar Gah.

"I remember John Reid, then the Minister of Defence, saying that he hoped that British troops would leave Afghanistan without firing a single shot.

"I don't think anyone was fooled. Helmand is absolutely full of Taleban fighters and supporters, and there was no question that British troops were going to be targeted. Both sides want to dominate the region, and it was inevitable that they were going to clash.

"What's more, it was all the more likely now, as the hot summer begins and the traditional fighting season of the Taleban starts.

"Helmand is a vast and unexplored place. It's not a known quantity. It only has two decent roads, for instance. And although Britain has 3,000 troops there, of those no more than 1,000 will be combat soldiers, the rest will be support staff. There are also outposts of Romanians and Canadians, but it's not a lot of troops at all. There are no armoured vehicles, no tanks. The British are mainly fighting from Land Rovers.

"It's also the first time that coalition troops have had a mission like this in Helmand. Before the British deployment, US forces were in the region, but their mission was very much a counter-terrorism operation, aimed at al-Qaeda, and the focus was on eastern Afghanistan. It was not about spreading stability and certainly not about sending regular, active patrols into the villages and asking about the Taleban.

"If you look at the recent engagements between Taleban fighters and British soldiers, I suppose you could say that UK forces are acting in self-defence, but really they are going out and taking on an aggressive role. Remember, the British troops are pretty tough, mostly Paratroopers, and not inclined to go pussy-footing around, and that will have upset the Taleban enormously.

"We've seen up to 100 Taleban fighters in recent firefights and British troops involved in a mission that we thought they would not be doing. I think it's shocked a lot of people and I'm afraid we're facing a summer of non-stop fighting. There is going to be considerable activity and the UK could lose more soldiers."

Explore World News

• World Agenda

• Iraq News

• US & Americas News

• Europe News

• Middle East News

• Afghanistan News

• Asia News

• Africa News

• Ireland News

Times Recommends

• 'Radio Rancid' is scourge of Obama
• French gulp as global warming alters wines
• Colton, the barefoot boy bandit, outfoxes sheriffs