British soldiers have seized over five tonnes of opium in night raids on Taliban drugs factories in Afghanistan.
More than 450 troops from The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, were involved in two airborne strikes in the Upper Sangin Valley in Helmand Province last week.
They found 5,500kg of opium paste, 220kg of morphine, over 100kg of heroin, 148kg of cannabis, as well as weapons and chemicals used to manufacture drugs, the British military said.
The mission - known as Operation Ouba, which means water in the local Pashtu language - also involved 100 Afghan soldiers.
After being dropped off by helicopter late on May 31, the troops found themselves under fire from Taliban rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns.
Having fought off the attack, they discovered several heroin factories and caches of illegal weapons before being pulled out of the desert over 30 hours later in the early hours of June 2.
A second airborne raid was launched in the same area three days later.
Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Cartwright, commanding officer of 3 Scots, said: "This has been an important operation against the illegal narcotics industry and represents a significant setback for the insurgency in Helmand Province."
