A WALK INTO THE VALLEY OF DEATH; EXCLUSIVE: We witness the dangers our troops face in Afghan minefield.

Byline: CHRIS HUGHES

IT was the most terrifying walk imaginable - a mile-and-a-half trek through a moonlit valley deep behind Taliban lines.

Here lay the most heavily mined part of Afghanistan and one wrong step could mean death or horrific injury.

Ahead was a long snake of 80 British assault troops armed to the teeth with heavy machine-guns, missiles, grenades and, crucially, metal detectors.

In the moonlight we could pick out the man ahead of us, silhouetted and hunched with 80lb worth of kit.

As we set off from Forward Operating Base Minden for one of the most daring assaults undertaken by British infantry, Major Jez Lamb warned: "This is a silent tactical approach on foot.

No noise. Follow the steps of the bloke in front as this ground is believed to be littered with Taliban mines. The IED (Improvised Explosives Device) threat is through the roof so watch your step and stay 5m apart from the man in front and behind.

"This means that if you or someone else gets blown up then we minimise the casualties."

We survived our moonlit walk but, as the troops began to fight on Saturday morning, news came through that two soldiers from the Brigade Reconnaissance Force had been killed in a mine strike in Musa Qala.

Sergeant Major Ned Miller, 37, of C Company of the 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment Fusiliers told me later: "Every one of us feels the devastation when a fellow soldier is killed or injured. Our thoughts are with the families of the two soldiers. This is the new warfare we are facing out here - IEDs all over the place.

"It really slows us down. We can't just go rushing in anywhere and it's terrible this has happened."

The opening of Operation Mar Lewe was a massive assault on a major Taliban stronghold to drive hardcore insurgents into the desert.

Up to 70 fanatics - including Pakistani and Chechen gunmen - were holed up in Yatimchay, south of Musa Qala, which was won by the British 18 months ago. We were embedded with UK forces which conned the Taliban into believing they were assaulting from the north while troops swept around to the south.

Operation Mar Lewe took months of planning and involved 700 members of a British Battle Group led by 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

Fusilier Scott Clarke, 19, said: "Of course I am terrified, mate. Bloody sh*****g myself to be honest. This is my first battle and all of the lads are nervous because this is a big operation."

As dawn broke on Saturday and another scorching 45 degree day began, the Recce Platoon launched the deceptive attack on the Taliban front lines from their Jackal vehicles, fitted with heavy machine-guns.

The Taliban started firing on Recce Platoon to the north as the main force came up behind them.

A US B1 Bomber then dropped a 2,000lb Guided Bomb Unit on the main Taliban gun positions. Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Charlie Calder, 40, took control as C Company and then B Company poured out of their armoured vehicles and launched a withering ground assault.

We took cover on a roof 100 yards away as heavy machine-guns opened fire before the shells started whistling in, hammering Taliban positions.

Guided Multi Launch Rocket System missiles - fired from Camp Bastion 20 miles away - roared overhead before exploding into the insurgent strongholds.

As the dust settled, we discovered a Taliban leader was killed along with many of his fighters, bomb factories were destroyed and a Taliban hospital with escape tunnels overrun.

Lt Col Calder said: "The operation shows that clearly our plans have worked so far as the enemy did not know where we were coming from.

"Information we have is that they have fled across the wadi (valley). The front line is now a further 2km to the south."

We also teamed up with the soldiers of 3 Section, Fire Support Group, commanded by 22-year-old Corporal Scott Davidson.

During a break in battle, Cpl Davidson, who's from the Wirral and has been a soldier almost seven years, said: "Of course you're nervous - you'd have to be bloody stupid not to be as you could be killed or injured. The most important thing to me is getting the job done and all of the guys in my section getting back to base safely.

"The heat is knackering but we have trained really hard for this and the section is doing really well given these conditions and they are all OK so far."

Late on Saturday night, two enemy fighters were spotted trying to sneak back across the wadi.

As we prepared to bed down for the night, we heard the scream of a missile.

In the darkness the radio message came through: "Confirmed kill. Two enemy dead - over."

Last night, with Musa Qala base's flag flying at half-mast for the British dead, the Taliban were still firing rockets at the front line troops. They are tough and determined fighters, but so is the British infantry.

CAPTION(S):

ON OUR GUARD Troops take aim in fight for Yatimchay STRIKE A 2,000lb bomb hits Taliban gun positions TUNNEL VISION Fusilier Clarke finds Taliban escape route ARMED AND NAPPING Fusilier Scott Clarke, 19 HEARTS AND MINES Locals in Yatimchay with our troops GUN POST Fusiliers on guard near Yatimchay