Three British soldiers killed in attacks in Afghanistan

KABUL (AP) — Insurgent attacks killed three British soldiers in the southern Afghanistan region where thousands of U.S. Marines pushed forward with the American military’s biggest anti-Taliban offensive since the hard-line Islamist regime was toppled.

The British deaths came as gunmen in the east abducted 16 mine-clearing personnel working for the United Nations.

A soldier from the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards died in an explosion while on a foot patrol near Gereshk in Helmand province Sunday, the Ministry of Defense said. In the same area Saturday, a rocket-propelled grenade killed one soldier and a roadside bomb killed another soldier, the British Defense Ministry said Sunday.

A total of 174 British personnel have died in Afghanistan since 2001.

The attacks underscore the dangers that the militarily superior foreign troops face in the Afghan countryside, known for its suspicion of foreigners.

The region is a known insurgent redoubt, and since Tuesday it has been the scene of the biggest American military offensive since 2001, when the U.S.-led coalition ousted the Taliban-led government.

It wasn’t clear if the British casualties had been involved in the Marine operation taking place farther south in Helmand. Taliban militants frequently use roadside bombs in their fight against Afghan and foreign forces in the country.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, called the Helmand offensive is “the first significant one” since President Barack Obama has ordered 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan to try to reverse the militant gains.

“We’ve made some advances early. But I suspect it’s going to be tough for a while,” Mullen told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.