British special forces head to Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan, May 30 (UPI) -- Two British special forces squadrons have deployed to Afghanistan for covert operations against the Taliban, military officials said.

It's one of the largest deployments of British special forces since World War II, The Times of London reported Saturday.

The squadrons, to be stationed in southern Afghanistan, are in addition to the 700 British soldiers already on the ground in that part of the country.

The British government did not say how many soldiers are in each special forces squadron, which deployed previously to Iraq to fight with U.S.-led coalition forces.

In Iraq, the special forces members were stationed in Basra and inside Baghdad's fortified Green Zone.