Taliban losing, says British military as Afghanistan toll tops Iraq

The head of Britain's military insisted the Taliban were losing the fight in Afghanistan, as London reflected yesterday on one of the most tragic days for its troops in decades.

Air Chief Marshal Jock Stirrup admitted it was "tough going" in Afghanistan after eight soldiers were killed within 24 hours, taking the British military death toll higher than in Iraq.

The spike in fatalities means Britain has now lost 184 troops in Afghanistan since operations began in 2001 - surpassing the 179 killed in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003.

The Sun newspaper said it was the worst 24 hours for British troops on the battlefield since the 1982 Falklands War.

"It's tough going because the Taliban have rightly identified Helmand as their vital ground," Stirrup said in a televised statement, referring to a volatile southern province.

"If they lose there then they lose everywhere and they are throwing everything they have into it. But they are losing and our commanders on the ground are very clear of that," he said.

"But it's going to take time and alas it does involve casualties."

Britain's death toll has increased sharply since it launched Operation Panther's Claw three weeks ago, a major assault against Taliban insurgents in Helmand.

Friday's British deaths brought the toll to 15 within 10 days. Britain has 8,300 troops in Afghanistan, the vast majority in Helmand.

"The mission in Afghanistan is about supporting the delivery of governance in order to reduce the opportunities for extremist terrorist groups who are a direct threat to the United Kingdom, its citizens and their interests," Stirrup said.

He said Panther's Claw was designed to bring up to 100,000 Helmandis within the "security envelope".

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown warned Friday of a "very hard summer" in Afghanistan, but said it was vital the international community maintained its commitment to bring stability to the country.

Newspapers yesterday reflected on the Afghanistan death toll surpassing that of Iraq, an engagement which has proved hugely divisive in Britain.

The Times printed a montage of the 184 dead soldiers on its front page and asked the conflict's supporters: "were we wrong?"

"Rising casualties prompt the fear that Afghanistan is becoming a quagmire. But Britain's interests lie in defeating the Taliban and helping to build a stable state," it said.

The Sun said there was "growing criticism of the conduct of the war.

"We must send more troops to get the job done and provide them with more and better helicopters and tougher vehicles. We must also embarrass some of our allies to play a full role instead of playing chicken."

Among the eight deaths announced on Friday were five soldiers from the 2nd Battalion The Rifles killed in two separate explosions while on the same patrol near Sangin in Helmand.

The attack was one of the worst single incidents in terms of British casualties since the start of operations in Afghanistan. Four soldiers were killed in a blast in June 2008, and 14 people died in the Nimrod aircraft crash in 2006.