Amid battle scenes that have been described by one commander as the most intense "since the Korean War", the BBC's Alastair Leithead, award-winning cameraman Fred Scott and field producer Peter Emmerson spent nine days with U.K. forces in a remote area of southern Afghanistan. There they found themselves under the constant risk of ambush and attack.
This past fall, as the BBC team was embedded with the troops, the struggle intensified between British troops and the forces of the Taliban. Around 5,800 U.K. troops are stationed in Afghanistan, following the U.S.-led invasion in October 2001, and to date more than 40 have been killed. The majority of the deployment is in Helmand, an area of major Taliban activity and opium production.
The filmmakers gained unique, prolonged access to the soldiers of the Royal Marines 3 Commando Brigade as they fought a shifting and elusive Taliban threat. Every day, the fighting continues to destroy buildings and lives - forcing people from their homes. Battlefield Afghanistan is a daring film that takes viewers directly to the frontlines and questions whether the NATO forces are losing the battle for the hearts and minds of the Afghan people.
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