Attack Kills Two British Soldiers

An attack on a British base killed two soldiers and an Afghan interpreter, military officials said Sunday, and at least 20 militants were killed in clashes and airstrikes.

A U.S. helicopter, meanwhile, crashed shortly after taking off from Kandahar airfield, killing one crew member, the U.S. military said.

The deaths came amid a massive anti-Taliban campaign in southern Afghanistan involving more than 10,000 Afghan and coalition soldiers. It is the largest military offensive since the hard-line government’s ouster in late 2001.

The two British soldiers died after their base was hit by gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades Saturday night in the southern province of Helmand, military spokesman Capt. Drew Gibson said.

An Afghan interpreter also was killed, coalition spokesman Maj. Quentin Innis said.

Four other British soldiers were wounded but were in stable condition, he said.

A total of five British troops have been killed in recent weeks since the start of Operation Mountain Thrust.

Coalition aircraft bombed a suspected Taliban hide-out in Helmand province, killing at least nine militant fighters, including a local Taliban commander, Mullah Tur Jan, provincial Police Chief Ghulam Nabi Malakhail said.

Innis confirmed the attacks, saying the coalition estimated that 12 to 15 insurgents were killed.

In a separate incident in the same district, 11 militants were killed by Afghan forces that came under fire Saturday night during search operations, Malakhail said.