British troops in fresh al-Qaeda hunt

Operation Snipe involves marines from 45 Commando

British troops are targeting mountains in south-eastern Afghanistan where al-Qaeda terrorists are thought to be hiding out.

Some 1,000 troops from the UK - including Royal Marines from 45 Commando - are involved in the hunt for what it is hoped will be the last remaining camps of terrorists in the country.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme from Bagram air base, Brigadier Roger Lane said it was a "substantial operation" in an area which had not yet been entered by coalition forces.

There could be casualties, but in the planning process we have reduced that risk as far as is humanly possible

Col Paul Harradine

Operation Snipe has been underway in secrecy for four days, but the forces have so far not been in contact with any enemy forces.

The Ministry of Defence said that if they did, their instructions were to "capture or destroy".

The operation involves mainly marines from 45 Commando hunting alongside a Royal Artillery gun battery and Royal Engineers.

It is supported by US troops, both airborne and on the ground, and Afghan troops.

Speaking to BBC News 24, Colonel Paul Harradine, from the Royal Marines, admitted there were risks for British troops.

'Risks'

"There could be casualties, but in the planning process we have reduced that risk as far as is humanly possible," he said.

"At the end of the day, we have a mission here and we will achieve it."

One marine was reported to have collapsed with a combination of dehydration and altitude sickness, after operating at heights of about 8,000ft or more.

He was treated by the camp doctor before being flown to Bagram for further medical assistance.

The final aim is to return the land to the Afghan people

Operation Snipe is the second by the unit since arriving in Kabul at the beginning of April, and is expected to last for at least several more days.

Brigadier Lane said the area being searched was believed to be a place where significant al-Qaeda members may have been or may be still now.

He added that morale among the troops was high.

Clearing bunkers

"We have the confidence, equipment and, most importantly, the people to meet these risks head-on," he said.

The forces have so far been involved in disabling the al-Qaeda fighters' infrastructure such as weapons caches.

Brig Lane: "Confident of meeting risks head-on"

Once the area has been searched and cleared, Brigadier Lane said it would be handed over to "forces loyal to the Afghan interim government" so humanitarian and aid agencies could move in.

"It's important that we investigate all the areas that have not been visited by coalition forces to ensure that we are confident about the status of those and then hand it over," Brigadier Lane said.

He said there had been movement in the last few days which intelligence sources believed to be by al-Qaeda terrorists.

'Final push'

Former Royal Marines officer Duncan March told the BBC: "You have got to ask the question whether this is almost a training exercise in order to get ready to still to go out and fight the al-Qaeda.

"So they are in the area that is maybe used, maybe not."

He said he would expect many of the al-Qaeda fighters would have already crossed the border into Pakistan given that they would know that 2,000 commandos and American forces were there.

"Go across the border. Wait till everything has died down and then go back across," he said.

A US defence official told the Washington Post that allied commanders were preparing for a final push against the terror network and its Taleban allies.

Last month, more than 400 marines were involved in an operation to comb a mountain valley in Afghanistan to destroy remaining pockets of the al-Qaeda terrorist network.