Afghan Diary: Tracking the Taleban

The BBC's Alastair Leithead has been embedded with British troops in southern Afghanistan.

In a series of reports, he has been describing their operations against the Taleban across the south of the country, including in Kajaki.

DAYS 6 AND 7

The easiest way to find out whether the Nato forces in Afghanistan have enough aircraft is to attempt to fly around the south of the country with the military.

I say attempt, as one of the biggest grumbles in Helmand and Kandahar is the amount of time troops waste getting to and from the various bases.

And with the Uruzgan operation almost complete, our plan was to head from Tarin Kowt to Kandahar by Hercules transporter plane and then on to Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand by helicopter, to have a closer look at the work the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is doing.

We got to Kandahar no problem, but flights on from there were at a premium - 31 people were bumped off the day's only flight to Lashkar Gah aboard US Blackhawk helicopters.

A baby was brought in with a terrible facial skin rash - made worse by the powdered stone her father had rubbed First instalment of diary Second instalment Fourth instalment

Then the alternative, a Hercules transporter plane to Camp Bastion, was delayed from 2000 to 0330 and then cancelled altogether - at 0230.

If we were going to get to Kajaki, in northern Helmand and accessible only by helicopter, in time for Remembrance Day on Sunday, we had to postpone plans for Lashkar Gah, where the British military HQ for Helmand is based.

And so finally we reached Camp Bastion - the main British base in the desert, which is growing all the time in numbers and structures.

There we joined up with 40 Commando Royal Marines who would be looking after us in Kajaki, where their troops are planning a memorial service close to the dam they are protecting from Taleban attack.

DAY 8: INTO KAJAKI

Kajaki is one of the most beautiful places I've been to in Afghanistan, high up in the mountains and just a short distance as the crow flies from the Uruzgan.

Buried under sacks of mail piled into the Chinook transport helicopter, we could just about make out the amazing scenery as we swept over the aqua-marine blue lake and down through the narrow valley onto the small landing pad.

A few months ago a helicopter was brought down by a rocket-propelled grenade with the loss of five men, one of them British.

The base, or FOB as it's called (Forward Operating Base) is right next to the river.

It is just a few hundred metres from the dam, with a hydroelectric power station at its base.

There's a major development project going on here run by USAID to bring in a third turbine, and repair number two, which needs serious maintenance.

The new Chinese-built turbine is in Kabul now waiting to be moved, but the road up the valley runs through Taleban controlled territory and it's been impossible for security reasons to get the project properly under way.

The scenery in Kajaki is eye-catching

I was last here in February, and listening to the brief from the officer in command, it appears the front line between British troops and Taleban positions has moved little in that time.

The marines hold the high ground and their patrols go out into the no-man's land of compounds and buildings where all the civilians have left because of the fighting.

The camp is small, well kept, and everyone is in brick buildings which is useful when rockets are fired regularly at the base.

I was told it used to be a summer home for the king - the district centre across the river from the base is built along what used to be an airstrip.

You can imagine the royal family picnicking under the conifers and by the ornate fountains - most of which have now fallen into disrepair.

The troops are very resourceful when it comes to making their lives more comfortable.

There are chefs who manage to whip up main meals from boxes of rations and the heavy plastic tubes which held missiles make good benches for the dining room.

The favourite is mugs made from mortar casings.

Private James Weller of 5 General Support Medical Regiment is something of an expert and has lost count of how many he has made.

He also engraves them with a penknife - so far he's done the 40 Commando crest, or the Gurkha's ensign.

There can be plenty of time between patrols or engagements with the Taleban.