Troop deaths overshadow Afghan 'success'
Updated on 27 July 2009
Two more British soldiers are killed in Afghanistan as the MoD claims Operation Panther's Claw has secured control of a Taliban stronghold.
Even as the latest phase of the war in Afghanistan was declared a success, Operation Panther's Claw claimed the life of a tenth soldier - killed when his vehicle was struck by an explosion.
And further north in Helmand province another soldier died whilst on patrol.
The deaths cast a shadow over today's announcement from the MoD that, after five weeks of hard fighting, the Taliban had been driven out a key region close to the provincial capital.
The operation was part of a series designed to provide security and encourage voter turnout at the presidential elections, scheduled for next month.