COMPLETE COVERAGE | FRONT LINES | AMERICA AT HOME | INTERACTIVES »

UK troops join Afghanistan action

BAGRAM, Afghanistan (CNN) -- British marines have begun an offensive to try to flush out remaining Taliban and al Qaeda fighters in the mountains of Afghanistan.

"It was confirmed on 16 April 2002 that personnel from 45 Commando Group had commenced Operation Ptarmigan to search and clear a high valley in the Afghan mountains believed to have been occupied by Al Qaeda and Taliban forces," according to a statement on the British Ministry of Defence Web site.

It is the first combat mission for British Royal Marine commandos since the Falklands War in the early 1980s.

A contingent of several hundred British commandos were leading a force also composed of U.S. and Afghan soldiers, according to British military sources. U.S. troops were said to be playing a supporting role in the operation.

British marines, who began arriving in Kabul in early April, are expected to number 1,700 combat troops by the end of month. The deployment is Britain's biggest overseas force since the Gulf War.

RESOURCES On the Scene:Operation Ptarmigan     CNN.COM SPECIAL REPORT  CNN NewsPass Video  Agencies reportedly got hijack tips in 1998  MORE STORIES Intelligence intercept led to Buffalo suspects Report cites warnings before 9/11  EXTRA INFORMATION Timeline: Who Knew What and When? Interactive: Terror Investigation Terror Warnings System Most wanted terrorists What looks suspicious? In-Depth: America Remembers In-Depth: Terror on Tape In-Depth: How prepared is your city?  RESOURCES On the Scene: Barbara Starr: Al Qaeda hunt expands? On the Scene: Peter Bergen: Getting al Qaeda to talk

"It's clear the war in Afghanistan is not over yet. The hunt for al Qaeda and Taliban goes on," said Brig. Roger Lane, commander of the British forces in Afghanistan.

"We're here for the long haul." According to Lane, no time constraints had been put on the operation.

In March, U.S. forces led Operation Anaconda -- also in eastern Afghanistan -- prompted by a regrouping of al Qaeda and Taliban forces. Operation Anaconda was the largest U.S.-led ground offensive since the Gulf War.

The men of 45 Commando are being supported by artillery, engineers and logistics troops as well as troop-carrying Chinook helicopters.

Men of both 40 Commando, based at Taunton, Somerset, and Scottish-based 45 Commando unit, which specialises in mountain and cold weather warfare, have been training intensively in the Afghan capital Kabul for the operation.

In addition to the combat forces, there are 1,367 UK peacekeepers with the International Security and Assistance Force in Kabul.

The UK's contribution to Operation Enduring Freedom also involves 2,135 sailors and 795 Royal Air Force personnel.

The battle group is expected to remain in Afghanistan for three months, although British Defence Secretary, Geoff Hoon, has said he is prepared to send fresh troops to replace it if necessary.

One of the difficulties facing the Royal Marines is the ability of al Qaeda members to slip across the border to tribal areas of north Pakistan, where they can re-group.

The Royal Marines' offensive comes a day after the screening of a new video of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, widely believed to be the mastermind of the September 11 terror attacks.

The video, dismissed as "nothing to write home about" by British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw on Monday, was released by Arab television station Al-Jazeera.

It showed bin Laden in discussion with a deputy and an apparent last message from one of the September 11 suicide bombers. It was not clear when or where the tape was made.