BRITISH Gurkhas have foiled a Taliban bombing team in the act of laying a deadly device.
The two-man unit was spotted as they dug a hole intending to hide a giant homemade bomb designed to rip into a military vehicle.
When they left to fetch the device, a patrol of the Nepalese warriors from the 2nd Battalion the Royal Gurkha Rifles was dispatched to lie in wait.
The duo returned at dawn next morning, carrying a plastic drum — and were challenged by the Gurkhas.
The bombers ignored warnings and tried to flee. One was shot dead.
The yellow drum was found to be packed with explosives and a detonator cord.
Tests on the dead man’s skin showed he had recently been handling high explosives.
Cowardly
The incident happened near the Nato base in the former Taliban stronghold Musa Qala, in northern Helmand.
Task Force spokeswoman Commander Paula Rowe said: “There’s no doubt that the man killed was attempting to cause death to Nato forces and local people by laying explosive devices.
“This is another example of the indiscriminate, cowardly way in which the insurgents choose to fight.
“It was by the training and quick reactions of the patrol that this was prevented.”
The Taliban switched tactics 18 months ago away from direct gun attacks to an Iraq-style bombing campaign.
Since then, 50 British personnel have been killed in the Afghan badlands by hidden mines and bombs.
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