Assault ... helicopters fly troops in to start the offensive against the Taliban
A FORCE of more than 15,000 Allied troops stormed into Taliban strongholds early today as commanders heralded "the beginning of the end for the insurgency".
Under cover of darkness, an awesome array of troops dropped into the badlands of the Helmand valley.
A first wave of 1,200 British troops - out of a total of 4,000 in the operation - were involved as the mission started.
Our Boys took off from Camp Bastion in a fleet of helicopters as Operation Moshtarak got underway at 3am local time (10pm UK time). The skies roared with noise as they made the 18-minute flight into the Nad-e-Ali district.
It is the biggest Allied joint offensive since 2001 and the largest air assault since the 1991 Gulf War. It is also the biggest helicopter assault in British military history.
Meanwhile further south US forces swooped into the Taliban strongholds in the Marjah district.
US Captain Joshua Winfrey, commander of Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, which was at the forefront, said: "The first wave of choppers has landed inside Marjah. The operation has begun."
The British and US troops in the operation - supported by up to five other allied nations - were accompanied by the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police.
It is hoped the presence of locals will reassure the Afghans that the mission is being carried out on their behalf.
The air assault follows weeks of missions by US and British Special Forces.
More than 85 Taliban leaders are thought to have been killed. In days to come, Our Boys have been told to expect fierce gun battles with remaining insurgents.
They will seek to clear the area, making it safe for the Afghan people - and the follow-up forces aiming to start the re-building.
Hours before the big push, the commander of British forces in Afghanistan, Brigadier James Cowan, spoke to the troops in an historic address at Camp Bastion.
He said: "Our aim is not to crush the Taliban but to win the people.
"Soon we will clear the Taliban from its safe havens in Central Helmand. Where we go we will stay. Where we stay we will build.
"We will establish security so that the people are free once more to live their own lives under their own government."
He added: "Hold your fire if there is a risk to the innocent, even if this puts you in greater danger. That kind of restraint requires courage."
THE helicopters used to fly in Our Boys early today included 11 Chinook CH47s, three Merlins, four Canadian Griffin gunships, eight Apaches, four Blackhawks and three Lynx.
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