British Paratroopers Conduct Operation 'Southern Beast' In Afghanistan

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN - AUGUST 2: A British Army soldier from the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment walks during a sand storm as he prepare to leave for strike operation Southern Beast on August 2, 2008 at their base at the Kandahar Air Field (KAF) in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The British Army soldiers from the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment spearheaded a strike operation in the Maywand District of the Kandahar Province, setting the conditions for a permanent ISAF presence to support the Afghan National Government in their fight against the Taliban. Striking within one of Afghanistan's major opium producing areas the Paratroopers were looking for weapons, drugs, and individuals related to the Taliban. During the operation about seventy kilograms of opium was seized and some weapons were recovered. (Photo by Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images)