British troops have killed two suspected terrorists in the first gunfire battle since the end of combat in Afghanistan in 2014.
The team from the Queen’s Dragoon Guards reportedly stunned the gunmen east of their UN base in Gao, Mali.
They were several miles from the nearest road when they spotted them around 500 metres away at 9am on Wednesday morning.
Major Gavin Hudson, the recce group’s chief of staff, said they were armed with a belt-fed machine gun and a Kalashnikov assault rifle.
After trying to flee on their motorbike, they crashed as the British troops gave chase, reports The Sun.
Major Hudson said: "At the point that they started to pursue them the intention was to question and detain them."
It marked the first time British troops fired a shot in anger since they joined the UN mission last year.
Gunfire reportedly lasted less than 20 minutes before the gunmen’s bodies were discovered by 100 spent bullet casings.
No British soldiers were hurt.
It comes after reports Taliban government is to insist the UK and other nations hand over billions in reparations for the 20-year war in Afghanistan.
Reports in Kabul suggest the demand is imminent – and that the Taliban is confident the UK will cave in.
Noor Mohammad Mutawakel, of the acting Ministry of Information and Culture, said: “Britain is ready to pay us war reparations, and we welcome that. Other countries involved in the war must also be prepared to pay.”
One Whitehall source said: “We don’t know what they’re going to ask for yet but it could be in the billions across everyone involved.
"Whether we pay it or not is a different matter.”
