Troops of the United Kingdom based in south Afghanistan attacked Taliban positions and killed six of their fighters in the troubled southern Helmand province Saturday night, a spokesman of the British army in the region said Sunday.

"Our troops stormed Taliban hideout in Kajaki district last night killing six of them," Drew Gidsen told newsmen in the area.

The clash between British forces and Taliban militants occurred amid increasing insurgency and the U.S.-led forces major offensive the operation "Mountain Thrust"to wipe out Taliban's loyalists in the southern region.

As the lead nation of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, Britain has already begun boosting its troops in the southern region particularly in the volatile Helmand province.

Skirmishes also claimed the life of one British soldier in Helmand province last week.

Some 85 militants, according to the U.S. army officials have been killed over the past couple of days.

Taliban have yet to make any comment.

About 900 people including 40 foreign troops with some 30 of them Americans have lost their lives in Taliban-linked insurgency over the past six months.

Source: Xinhua