News broke on June 23rd 2009 that members of the British armed forces deployed in Afghanistan had launched a significant new operation, which they were conducting from the air, and which was targeting a Taliban-heavy area in the south of the country. Over 350 military personnel from the Scottish Black Watch regiment were airlifted into Babaji, in the province of Helmand, in what the MoD referred to as among the most major operations of the modern age.

Operation Panther's Claw

The assault is titled Operation Panther's Claw, and features US as well as British forces. On June 19th, these were transported by a fleet of 12 Boeing Chinook helicopters, while aerial support was provided by a range of other NATO air assets. These included:

• AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, which are operated by the US and British Armies
• UH-60 Blackhawk utility helicopters, as flown by the US Army
• An AC-130H Spectre gunship, derived from the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft and operated by the US Air Force
• Harrier GR7s/GR9s - part of Joint Force Harrier, which is made up of RAF and Royal Navy assets
• Various Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), which both militaries operate

Black Watch Regiment

On the ground, meanwhile, over 150 Black Watch regiment soldiers and Royal Engineers were present, onboard Viking armoured vehicles.

"The aim is to secure a number of canal and river crossings in an area which has previously been one of the main Taliban strongholds", Task Force Helmand spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson, explained.

"We are working very closely alongside the Americans and together we are seeking to reduce the fear, intimidation and violence that the insurgents cause and inflict on the Afghan population."

The assault actually took place on Friday June 19th, but details of it have only now entered the public domain. Since then, the MoD has reported that several militants attacks had been launched, all of them overcome by allied forces. The result was that three of the area's prime crossing locations have now been secured - the Nahr-e-Burgha canal, the Lui Mandey Wadi crossing and the Shamalan canal.

"This has been a major air assault operation with a large number of helicopters, both UK and US", Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Cartwright, Commanding Officer of 3 SCOTS (3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland), explained.

"The Black Watch met some resistance but we were able to establish a firm foothold in the area."

On June 19th - the same day as this operation took place - news broke of the 169th British military death to have taken place in Afghanistan over the past eight years.