Warlords put high price on British heads

Afghanistan: Royal Marines are put on alert after security warning that Taliban and al-Qa'ida may attack key airbase in disguise

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Afghan warlords have offered rewards of "tens of thousands of dollars" in bounty for an attack on British troops at Bagram air base, and an assassination attempt on the former king, Zahir Shah, who has just returned from exile.

A French soldier with the ISAF peacekeeping force was wounded when gunmen fired on a patrol at Kabul airport on Friday night, it was disclosed yesterday. It was the latest in a series of hit-and-run raids, including a rocket attack, on the ISAF since the peacekeepers launched a crackdown on lawlessness in the Afghan capital last month.

According to senior British and American officers, Taliban and al-Qa'ida fighters may pose as journalists to infiltrate Bagram and carry out an attack, in emulation of the murder of the Northern Alliance leader, Ahmed Shah Masood, last year. With the Royal Marines having taken over from the Americans in the front line, the British forces headquarters at Bagram has become a target for Taliban and al-Qa'ida terrorists, and additional security measures are being taken to counter possible assaults, ranging from mortars to suicide bombings.

Bagram is the only allied airbase the Taliban and al-Qa'ida forces have failed to strike, and a successful attack would be seen as prestigious as well as strategic. As for Zahir Shah, Taliban leaders – including Mullah Mohammed Omar, who is now in hiding – have repeatedly threatened to kill the former monarch, 87, if he returned from Italy, where he has lived for the past 29 years.

Squadron Leader Tom Rounds of the RAF said at Bagram airbase: "Tens of thousands of dollars have been offered as bounty for both an attack on Bagram as well as killings of Westerners. There is a real and very immediate threat to this base at the moment; that is what our intelligence indicates, and we are taking it extremely seriously.

"The possible use of terrorists posing as media for attempts on both the base and Zahir Shah also shows that there could be planning at a strategic and high level by the enemy. We stress, the threat is specific, and not something that has been surmised because of the murder of Masood."

Lt Col Paul Harradine of the Royal Marines said: "As well as allied personnel, Bagram contains millions of pounds' worth of equipment, and we are well aware of the money being offered. We are also aware of a threat to Zahir Shah, through intelligence, that assassins may pose as media."

The ex-king, who returned last Thursday to popular acclaim, is living in a former royal house in Kabul, guarded by a 1,000-strong security force. Zahir will preside over a loya jirga, or consultative council, which is due to meet in June to establish a permanent post-Taliban government for Afghanistan. The remnants of the Taliban fear that the former monarch, a Pashtun, will undermine their residual power base among the Pashtun population.

The heightened threat comes as the Marines prepare for their first real combat mission against Taliban and al-Qa'ida this week. An initial operation last week was widely publicised, but British troops saw no combat. Senior defence officials have stated that it was carried out to acclimatise the troops and gather intelligence. It has now emerged that the Marines discovered, among other things, computer disks believed to contain enemy "movement plans".

It was thought that the next phase of the British offensive would not begin until the end of April, when the whole expeditionary force of around 1,700 will be in place. But senior officers are keen to keep the momentum going. Brigadier Roger Lane, in overall command, said "We have been successful, and we should capitalise on that success. Obviously I will have more options when the whole force is in place, but if opportunities for operations come along there is no reason not to take them."

The Marines were called in by General Tommy Franks, the US commander of the war, after the lack of success by US forces at Tora Bora and Gardez. The Americans will, however, provide air support, and there is some trepidation among the British marines about "friendly fire". A US pilot dropped bombs on a Canadian unit, killing four of them, on Thursday.