Paras kill 21 Taliban in fierce fight among alleyways By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent (Filed: 10/06/2006) The first significant encounter between soldiers of the Parachute Regiment and the Taliban involved close-quarters fighting among alleyways and mud buildings. It was an early indication of the challenges facing British troops recently deployed in southern Afghanistan. Within 10 seconds of disembarking from their Chinook helicopters outside the village of Nauzad, the troops came under heavy fire from insurgents hidden in houses and behind walls. As machinegun bullets and rocket-propelled grenades cut through the air, the Paras ran for cover, returning fire only when...