FACTBOX: Five facts about operations in Afghanistan

(Reuters) - British troops ended a five-week offensive on Monday aimed at clearing the Taliban out of population centers in southern Afghanistan ahead of elections next month. Similar U.S. operations are ongoing.

The British operation, known as "Panther's Claw," left 23 troops dead -- the highest toll Britain has suffered in any operation in 7-1/2 years in Afghanistan -- and has led to calls at home for the country to withdraw from the war.

Following are some facts and figures about Afghanistan and the operations to drive back the Taliban.

* The objective of "Panther's Claw" was to drive the Taliban out of a group of towns and villages along a river valley in Helmand, a province in southern Afghanistan, making it possible for 80,000 more Afghans to vote in the August 20 presidential and provincial elections.

* The British operation involved around 3,000 troops and worked in conjunction with a U.S. offensive involving 4,000 Marines. About 650 Afghan troops backed up the offensives. At least 23 British troops were killed during the operation, 22 of them during July, making it the deadliest month for Britain. July has also been the deadliest month of the war for U.S. troops, with at least 36 killed.

* Since April, British troops have found 994 roadside bombs, known as improvised explosive devices (IEDs), in Helmand. Since the start of "Panther's Claw," they have found 153. IEDs are one of the biggest killers of foreign troops.

* Helmand is Afghanistan's largest province, about 60,000 sq km (23,000 sq m), making it nearly as large as Ireland. Virtually all its population lives along the Helmand River, Afghanistan's longest, surrounded by canals that irrigate a narrow area of opium and food crops along its banks.

* Helmand is the world's largest producer of opium poppies, responsible for 42 percent of global production. Helmand's population is mainly made up of Pashtuns, Afghanistan's largest ethnic group, from which the Taliban movement draws most of its followers.

(Compiled by Farah Master)