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More UK combat troops deployed

British marines arrive at Bagram airport

BAGRAM, Afghanistan -- The bulk of British Royal Marine troops due to take part in combat operations against rogue al Qaeda and Taliban factions in Afghanistan have now arrived in the country.

Around 120 soldiers arrived at Bagram Air Base near the capital, Kabul, on Wednesday, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defence in London said.

They are the latest batch of troops to arrive in the region in recent days.

The Royal Marines are expected to join the U.S.-led coalition hunting pockets of dissident al Qaeda and Taliban fighters holed up in caves and mountainous terrain.

The troops, who are trained in mountain and winter warfare, will form part of a group of 1,700 Commandos, Royal Engineers and other personnel in what is Britain's biggest overseas force since the Gulf War.

Britain is heading the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan but the peacekeepers are confined to the capital.