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There were no reports of casualties among the allied forces by early yesterday evening and, according to senior defence sources, no serious engagement was expected.The operation, codenamed Ptarmigan, is aimed primarily as a mission to test the strength of the remnants of the Taliban and al-Qa’ida, gather intelligence and occupy vantage points for future action. Another aim was to give the marines a taste of the environment where they will be operating.The marines from 45 Commando were flown into the battle zones by CH-47 Chinook helicopters, and the bulk of the force will be airlifted out by this morning.The intelligence gained from the operation will be disseminated to the SAS and SBS, who are believed to have about 150 men in the area. Further operations, involving intense action, are expected to begin next week with the special forces carrying out search and destroy missions and the marines providing protection.Brigadier Roger Lane, commander of the marines, said yesterday at Bagram air base, north-east of Kabul, where the British force is based: “When we arrived, it was clear the war in Afghanistan was not yet over. The hunt for al-Qa’ida and Taliban fighters goes on.” Lt Col Paul Harradine of the Royal Marines, British forces spokesman, added: “Our men are in very rugged, mountainous and rough terrain. They are on foot, carrying bergens weighing 80-90lbs, in freezing temperatures. It is very difficult with low oxygen levels,but, so far we have not had anything to indicate they are having problems.”After months of being lukewarm about British forces taking part in fighting, the US Central Command (Centcom) called in the marines, with their mountain warfare expertise, after the limited success of offensives at Tora Bora and Gardez.

At Tora Bora, the US stayed in the background, letting Afghan allies take the lead, and most of the enemy fighters escaped. At Gardez the US forces did take the lead but suffered casualties. Eight Americans were killed in the fighting.The problems faced by the US commander of the war, General Tommy Franks, were highlighted by an interview given by a member of the US 10th Mountain Division, who said: “We don’t do mountains”.¿ Seven RAF soldiers were injured, three of them seriously, yesterday when they were caught in an avalanche during a training exercise in the Scottish Highlands. The victims were part of an eight-man team climbing in Aviemore.. The giant glaciers of the Himalayas are melting so quickly that within five years dozens of glacial lakes could burst their banks and kill tens of thousands in their path, a report today from the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) warns.

Nine years later it was 1.94 kms long, 1.13 kms wide, and 27 metres deeper.Surendra Shrestha, of Unep’s Early Warning Division, said, “Our findings indicate that 20 glacial lakes in Nepal and 24 in Bhutan have become potentially dangerous as a result of climate change.”We have evidence that any one of these could, unless urgent action is taken, burst its banks in five to 10 years with potentially catastrophic results for people and property hundreds of kilometres downstream These are the ones we know about. Who knows how many others, elsewhere in the Himalayas and across the world, are in a similarly critical state?”The Tsho Rolpa lake in the Dolakha district of Nepal covered 0.23 square kms in the late 1950s. But today, with the melting of a nearby glacier, it has swollen to six times the size.Pradeep Mool, a remote sensing expert with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development , said: “A flood from this lake could cause serious damage down to the village of Tribeni, 108 kms downstream, threatening about 10,000 human lives, thousands of livestock, agricultural land, bridges and other infrastructure.”The warnings add a new dimension to the understanding of the multiple environmental hazards posed by climate change. And while the deaths of nearby residents and the destruction of homes and farms will be the most immediate effects of such glacial lake outburst floods, or glofs, as they are known, they are by no means the only hazard.Klaus Toepfer, the executive director of Unep, said: “It is not just the risk to human lives, agriculture and property that should worry us.

Mountains are the world’s water towers, feeding the rivers and lakes upon which all life depends.”If the glaciers continue to retreat at the rates being seen in places such as the Himalayas, many rivers and freshwater systems could run dry, threatening drinking water supplies as well as fisheries and wildlife. We have another compelling reason to act to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.”There was a serious glof at the Dig Tsho glacial lake in Nepal in August 1985. The outburst of water destroyed 14 bridges and caused $1.5m damage at a nearby hydroelectric plant, but researchers say the threat is now far more widespread.At Tsho Rolpa, engineers have installed a network of sensors and sirens to give people living downstream enough warning to escape. They are also working to lower the lake’s water level by 30 metres, to postpone the disaster.