Around the World: Afghanistan

UK troops launch mission

British troops have launched helicopter advances in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province to prepare the battlefield for a major NATO operation, the British military said on Friday.

The British operations are on the outskirts of Marjah, a warren of desert canals held by the Taliban, which US Marines say they intend to seize soon in what will be one of the biggest assaults of the eight-year-old war.