Afghan villages abandoned before Nato-led operation

Hundreds of villagers living in a Taliban-controlled area of southern Afghanistan are leaving before a major Nato-led offensive gets under way.

It is expected to be one of the largest counter-insurgency operations since the Afghan conflict began in 2001.

The operation to clear insurgents from the southern town of Marjah, in Helmand province, is expected to begin soon.

Meanwhile two British solders have been killed by a bomb in Helmand. They were not involved in the Marjah operation.

The two soldiers were on foot patrol in Sangin when they were killed by a roadside bomb on Sunday, the Ministry of Defence said.

'Scared'

Nato says the town of Marjah is home to the biggest community under insurgent control in southern Afghanistan.

Operation Moshtarak - which means "together" in the Dari language - is expected to be launched within the next few days.

Nato aircraft dropped more leaflets over Marjah at the weekend warning of the planned offensive.

Villagers said the leaflets gave the names of several alleged militant commanders and told fighters to leave the area or be killed, the Associated Press reports.

One resident, Gul Muhammed, told AFP news agency why he had left town.

"There are Taliban all over the place and foreign troops around Marjah," he said. "So I was scared that we might get hurt."

Another man, Mohammad Hakim, was heading to Lashkar Gah with his wife, nine sons, four daughters and grandchildren.

"Everybody is worried that they'll get caught in the middle when this operation starts," he told the Associated Press.

"I can stay for one or two weeks," he said. "But if I have to leave my agriculture land for months and months, then how will I feed my family?"

Provincial officials said about 35,000 residents of Marjah were taking the advice and heading to other parts of Helmand.

But the International Committee of the Red Cross said there was no way to count how many people had left Marjah.

Many are thought to have gone to stay with relatives or found other accomodation in nearby towns, rather than applying for emergency aid.

'Big test'

The forthcoming offensive will be the first major military action since US President Barack Obama announced the deployment of 30,000 extra US troops.

Planning has been under way for weeks.

The British general in overall command of the operation, Maj Gen Nick Carter, has told the BBC this will be the first big test for President Obama's new strategy in Afghanistan.

For the first time, Gen Carter said, Afghan forces would be at the forefront of planning the operation. Afghan police would provide support after initial military operations.

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner, at the regional headquarters in Kandahar, says that commanders are aware of the Afghan police's sometimes dubious reputation and are preparing to monitor their performance during the operation.

The overall Nato commander in Afghanistan, Gen Stanley McChrystal, said the operation would "send a strong signal that the Afghan government is expanding its security control".

Late on Sunday, UK Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth warned of likely casualties among coalition troops during the offensive.