Our man in Afghanistan

By night he sleeps under canvas on an old minefield, planes and helicopters intermittently echoing through the night skies.

In the near distance the Hindu Kush mountains provide a spectacular backdrop to his temporary home.

It is a beautiful scene but the terrible beauty that is Afghanistan lies all around in the death, destruction and chaos following decades of war.

Major James Pressly of the Royal Marines would not be anywhere else.

This is the reason he endured the infamous Commando training course, the reason he has lived in the bowels of ships in the Arabian Gulf, the reason he spends countless hours studying military tactics and strategy. The real reason was he wanted to wear the famed green beret.

Commandos are a breed apart and that is why they were chosen to fight terrorism in one of the most dangerous theatres in the world.

Major Pressly, from Dorchester, is plans officer for the Royal Marines, spearheading the hunt for al Qaida and Taliban militants still holed up in the dangerous and desolate mountains of the region.

He is one of the officers responsible for planning the latest actions which have recovered supplies of ammunition and discovered cave complexes and old defensive positions.

The 1,000 strong force of Royal Marines, backed up by US air power, special forces and Afghan troops are searching the region in south east Afghanistan after reconnaissance teams had checked out the area.

The aim of the operation - code-named Operation Snipe - was to secure the area by making it impossible for any al Qaida or Taliban forces which might remain to carry on operating in the region, or to return there.

Major Pressly, who grew up in Sutton Poyntz, near Weymouth, spoke to the Echo today from Afghanistan.

He said: "We are here to support the US in the global fight against terrorism.

"We have isolated the area and all troops on the ground are conducting searches. They have discovered some suspicious activity and recovered significant caches of weapons but we have not come across any terrorists as yet.

"The aim is to secure the area and capture or kill any terrorists. It is very rugged terrain and the troops are operating at up to 12,000ft."

Major Pressly is based at Bagram Airport, north of the capital Kabul.

He said: "It is a very volatile area still and there has been quite a bit of inter-tribal fighting. However, when they are not fighting each other they are supporting us.

"The area all around us is mined and we are sleeping in tents on an old minefield because the buildings have been mostly destroyed.

"We are looking out at the Hindu Kush mountains which are still capped with snow and it is quite a breathtaking area.

"But it is still very volatile and there have been some people killed and injured close-by on the minefields.

"We are working with the US 10th Mountain Division and there are also British Army, RAF and a few navy personnel here as well.

"Everyone has been co-operating very well and everything is going according to plan at the moment."

Major Pressly said meticulous planning went into each operation and intelligence and reconnaissance teams were supplying vital information.

He named one of the Marines' latest operations, Objective Frome, after the Dorset river.

The Marines on the ground taking part in the operation have made significant arms finds over the past few days.

But they are facing more than just an unseen enemy in south east Afghanistan.

The weather seems to change every five minutes, dusty wind and rain alternating with warm spring sunshine as the Chinooks come, picking up their loads and moving south towards the mountains.

Though ordered to an undisclosed area of south-eastern Afghanistan to locate and destroy al Qaida and Taliban groups, few among the 1,000 coalition soldiers involved in the operation, a number that includes the hundreds of marines, allied Afghan fighters and smaller American units, knew what to expect.

Prophesied scenarios involve anything from a large clash with guerrilla concentrations, to unchallenged sweeps and searches for weapons caches.

The four rifle companies of 45 Commando have already deployed into the mountains.

Many are airlifted firstly to what is known simply as the brigade forward operating base (FOB) - a resupply area used to move ammunition, soldiers, rations and water forward by helicopter to the marine units already in the hills.

The Commandos appear to respect their enemy, and acknowledged the guerillas' skill in ambush, sudden attack, and quick withdrawal.

Some of them have had 20 years of fighting experience. They are resilient, travel light, move fast, and use the terrain well.

But it now appears that many have left the mountains as the Marines sweep through.

The coalition's top commander said today that the war against al Qaida and Taliban fighters inside Afghanistan is "all but won" and offensive operations by the US-led forces are grinding down as a result.

"We believe we're on the right way, that the fight against al Qaida and Taliban in Afghanistan is all but won," Brigadier Roger Lane said at Bagram air base.

"They are not showing a predisposition to reorganise and regroup to mount offensive operations against us."

"Because as yet we have not come into contact with the enemy per se, I expect over the next few days that offensive operations akin to Operation Snipe will start coming to an end."

The last major battles against al Qaida and Taliban holdouts took place in March during Operation Anaconda in eastern Afghanistan's Shah-e-Kot mountains. The 12-day assault marked the largest US ground operation of the war. Since then, US officials say enemy fighters have dispersed into small groups.

But the forces have several jobs to complete, including helping to strengthen the government of interim prime minister Hamid Karzai and tighten the country's borders.

"We're not going to be able to find and destroy every last bunker and terrorist," Lane said, "but we can get to a point where... initially the local Afghan militia forces can take control and then in time, as the development of the Afghan national army takes some form, that they will ... then become responsible for their territorial sovereignty and security."

That is the plan; but in Afghanistan the best laid plans have a nasty habit of unravelling.

That is why Major Pressly will be poring over his maps and reports again today to ensure there are no loose ends left.