Troops enter Taliban-held town
Taliban fighters reportedly abandon Musa Qala as Afghan army arrives.
Fay said that the Taliban had claimed that as many as 4,000 of their fighters were being redeployed to the outskirts of the town in Helmand province.
‘Completely captured’
General Mohammad Zahir Azimi, Afghan defence ministry spokesman, said that the Afghan, British and US troops had “completely captured” Musa Qala, however this was not confirmed by Nato.
“To win here and to defeat the Taliban and to make sure that we can give strength to the new democracy in Afghanistan is important in defeating terrorism all around the world” Gordon Brown, British prime minister |
“The plan at this stage is for the Afghan forces, once Musa Qala is secure, to move in themselves to make sure that the Taliban cannot return and once again take power,” Fay said from the Afghan capital Kabul.
Taliban forces took the town in February, although the surrounding provincial areas are considered to be under Nato and Afghan control.
‘Challenging environment’
Meanwhile, Gordon Brown, Britain’s prime minister, arrived in Afghanistan, visiting soldiers in Helmand province before travelling to Kabul.
“I thank every one of you for what you have done in what is the frontline against the Taliban because this is one of the most challenging of environments,” he told the troops.
“To win here and to defeat the Taliban and to make sure that we can give strength to the new democracy in Afghanistan is important in defeating terrorism all around the world.”
Brown, on his first trip to Afghanistan as prime minister, was due to hold talks with Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, later on Monday, officials said.