Ambush shows Taliban killers were trained by professionals

The deadly ambush of the three members of the Parachute Regiment in Helmand indicates a great improvement in the Taliban's tactical skills and military professionalism.

The soldiers were likely to be members of the Special Forces Support Group, a British equivalent of the US Rangers recruited exclusively from 1st Battalion The Parachute Regiment.

The way they were attacked in a carefully prepared ambush suggests the Taliban involved had professional military training.

Despite official denials by the commanders of international forces in Afghanistan, the Taliban have improved their skills in the field out of recognition in the past two to three years.

Their basic weapon is the buried roadside bomb, the IED "improvised explosive device". These seem to be laid at will at night or even during the day when government and coalition forces aren't around.

The fact is that Afghan president Hamid Karzai's forces, and those of his international allies, do not control enough of the physical terrain and the broad landscape of Afghan sympathies and loyalties.

The national elections on 20 August are sure to be a decisive tipping point in the eight-year campaign since the Taliban were ejected from government in 2001. The authorities know they have to stage reasonably credible and reasonably secure elections otherwise all bets are off for Karzai and the international mission supporting him.

There is a strange feeling in the corridors of power from Nato to Washington, and Afghans will recognise this. We have been here before. International forces are roughly the same number as the Russian occupying forces supporting the rickety Communist government of Najibullah more than 25 years ago.

The Russians were forced to withdraw 20 years ago exactly, because they struggled to dominate the Afghan terrain and hold its cat's cradle of tribes and factions together.