UK troops start security operation

The first British troops spearheading the International Security Assistance Force were on the ground in Afghanistan today - as the most senior Taliban figure yet to be captured was held near the Pakistan border.

The UK soldiers, who will form part of an international stabilisation force thought to number up to 5,000, last night flew into Bagram airport, just north of Kabul, which has been secured by Royal Marines.

British government sources said the soldiers were the lead or initial element of the international force designed to provide a secure environmentfor the interim Afghanistan administration, which takes office tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Pakistani frontier officials arrested Aminullah Amin, formerly the Taliban's head of security.

Amin, the movement's most senior figure since it was ousted from power, was held in the border town of Spin Baldak, south of Kandahar, as border patrols intensified to prevent al Qaeda fighters escaping Tora Bora.