Ainsworth warns of casualties in Operation Moshtarak

The defence secretary has warned of likely UK casualties as thousands of coalition troops prepare to launch a major offensive in Afghanistan.

Operation Moshtarak is designed to force Taliban militants from an area surrounding the town of Marja in Helmand province.

Bob Ainsworth said it "was not a safe environment" and operations could not be made risk-free.

The offensive will involves British, American and Afghan troops.

Codenamed Operation Moshtarak - which means "together" in the Dari language - it has been described as a "softening-up operation" to clear the Taliban from its remaining strongholds in the area.

Casualties are something we have to come to expect when we're involved in these operations Bob Ainsworth Karzai may introduce army draft

BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera said that by publicising the scale of the operation in advance, military commanders were hoping that less committed elements among the Taliban would be deterred from fighting back.

Our correspondent added that 4,000 UK service personnel were expected to take part in the the offensive - with 15,000 coalition forces in total due to be involved in the operation.

If the numbers are correct, it would dwarf the largest British military operation so far in Afghanistan - Operation Panther's Claw, which left 10 UK soldiers dead and many others seriously wounded.

Mr Ainsworth said: "Of course casualties are something we have to come to expect when we're involved in these operations and people have had that brought home to them.

"This is not a safe environment and it doesn't matter how much kit and equipment we provide for them, we cannot entirely make these operations risk-free.

"But they are well-planned, there's good provision and we can only wish success for our people."

He added: "We shouldn't deny or pretend to people that we can provide security and that casualties are not a very real risk on these kind of operations and people have to be prepared for that."

Taliban talks

Mr Ainsworth said British forces in Afghanistan were engaged in direct talks with Taliban representatives.

"There's no need for us to wait until some end point before we start talking to those elements of the Taliban who don't share all of the ideological aims of some of their leaders.

"Those talks have already been going on, and have been going on for some time. They're led by the Afghan government, and we would encourage them to do so."

Troops taking past in last summer's Panther's Claw operation - also in Helmand province - aimed to secure canal and river crossings north of Lashkar Gah, and establish a permanent International Security Assistance Force in the area.

It was one of the UK military's biggest co-ordinated air operations of modern times.

About 350 troops from the Black Watch, the 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, launched the attack, taking back control of the village of Babaji from the Taliban.

So far 253 UK forces personnel have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001.

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