Three British soldiers were killed in an ambush in southern Afghanistan the day after NATO forces took over the violence-plagued region from US troops.
A British convoy was attacked today by rebels in Helmand province - one of the most dangerous in the country - the Defence Ministry said in London.
"A UK vehicle patrol was attacked by insurgents with rocket propelled grenades and heavy machine guns.
Sadly three UK soldiers were killed and another is seriously injured," the ministry said in a statement.
A Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousuf, said the group carried out the ambush, killing six NATO soldiers. He said the rebels had killed another seven in a separate clash further south.
But an ISAF spokesman rejected the Taliban death toll claim. Taliban guerrillas and drug barons have been operating for years in Helmand, the biggest drug growing area in a country that is the world's major heroin producer. Residents said heavy fighting erupted in Musa Qala district where the soldiers were ambushed.
The ISAF spokesman confirmed the fighting, saying it was part of an ongoing operation but giving no further details. Yesterday, NATO forces took over security in the south from the US-led coalition to begin one of the biggest ground operations in the alliance's history and allow the United States to withdraw about 3,000 soldiers from the country.
More than 1,700 people have been killed in the Taliban-led insurgency, attacks by drug barons and operations by US-led forces this year, mostly in the Taliban heartland in the south.
The violence is the bloodiest since the US-led coalition overthrew the Taliban government in 2001. British Defence Secretary Des Browne said the rebels wanted to sabotage efforts to bring security and prosperity to Afghans: "We cannot allow them to succeed, and we remain committed to seeing through our part in this vital international effort."
NATO troops, mostly from Britain, Canada and the Netherlands, have been taking up positions in the south for the past few months and have already been engaged in heavy fighting with Taliban guerrillas, in some cases allied with drug runners.