BAGRAM AIR BASE (Afghanistan), May 17: About 1,000 British and Australian forces battled Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters in a major new operation in eastern Afghanistan in which a number of enemy forces were killed, officials said on Friday.

Operation Condor began on Thursday afternoon when Australian SAS (Special Air Service) troops were fired on from a number of locations by a large group of opposition fighters, Brigadier Roger Lane told reporters here.

Hundreds of British marines from 45 Commando, backed by US air support, were sent in to “assist the Australian SAS task force who are engaged in combat”.

Asked to define the size of the opposition force, Lane replied: “Substantial, and they have been prepared to fire at the Australians for several hours.”

The battle was being fought in an area historically used by the Taliban and Al Qaeda, said the commander of the 1,700-strong British task force.

“The first priority of the operation in Paktia province was “the destruction or the capture of terrorists,” Lane said, adding that they would also aim to destroy any enemy infrastructure.

Lane added that the operation, expected to last for “days”, was being fought in a mountainous area at heights of up to 8,000 feet.

Spokesman Lt-Col Ben Curry had told reporters on Thursday that “we are now in a period of rest and recuperation”, but insisted an outbreak of a mystery disease among British servicemen at Bagram would not compromise operational capability.

The Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) reported Friday that at least 10 people were killed and many others wounded when a US warplane bombed a village in the neighbouring province of Khost overnight.— AFP