British troops in south Afghanistan hard pressed by Taliban

London, Sep 20 (UNI) British troops in southern Afghanistan are spending so much time fighting the Taliban in Helmand province that they have had little time for reconstruction work, said Defence Secretary Des Browne.

''We do have to accept that it has been even harder than we expected. The Taliban's tenacity has been a surprise, absorbing more of our effort than we predicted it would and consequently slowing progress on reconstruction,'' Mr Browne said in a speech to the Royal United Services Institute here yesterday.

Military commanders have also made similar acknowledgements. They have been on the ground and have been taken aback by the persistence of the Taliban. Thirty-three British personnel have been killed since June.

But Mr Browne said there were signs that the Taliban were tiring.

''Local leaders in some areas are showing signs of wanting to reach an accommodation to limit or indeed to stop the fighting,'' he said.

He said the British troops were engaged in ''terrible and dangerous work''. They were fighting ''incredibly hard'', adding, ''they are working in arduous conditions, around the clock, up to and sometimes beyond the bounds of stamina and endurance.'' He also warned that despite the inroads made against the Taliban there was a hardcore who were ''determined to fight to keep their impunity in the south, and possibly to reclaim the whole country''.

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