British troops could stage offensive missions in Afghanistan, despite their main role there being to support the reconstruction effort, Defence Secretary John Reid said. Reid, who is visiting the country, told BBC radio the 3,300-strong taskforce that Britain is preparing to send to the volatile southern province of Helmand faced a “complex and dangerous” mission. And although the US contingent there was tasked with hunting members of the former hardline ruling Taliban and al-Qaeda suspects, British soldiers may have to resort to pre-emptive action to protect themselves, he added on Monday. Full Story