THREE years after troops left Afghanistan, British special forces are back, joining an Afghan mission to hunt down a Taliban bomb-maker.

About 30 SAS and SBS (Special Boat Service) troops have returned to Helmand, the Star on Sunday reports.

4 British troops have returned to Helmand to help fight the Taliban Credit: Rex Features

4 Helmand is the deadliest part of Afghanistan for Afghan and foreign troops, with huge parts of the province taken over by the Taliban Credit: EPA

They are hunting down the bomb-maker responsible for roadside attacks in Kabul, who is believed to be hiding at the house of the Helmand Taliban's second in command.

Since UK forces left Afghanistan in 2014, the Taliban has gained control of most of Helmand.

A former senior defence commander told the Times on Friday that Britain pulled out of Afghanistan too soon, abandoning local forces before they were ready to cope without support.

The Taliban are well-armed and better organised than when UK forces left three years ago, according to a special forces source in Kabul, who described the situation as "challenging."

4 US President Donald Trump has urged Theresa May to increase the amount of Brit troops in Afghanistan Credit: AFP or licensors

4 There are 8,000 US troops in Afghanistan, after President Obama capped the number of troops sent to the country Credit: Getty Images - Getty

He said: “The Taliban have an iron grip on Helmand. We rely on electronic intercepts and elements of the Afghan security services who are very good.

“In recent operations we have been forced to deploy AC-130 gunships to hit back at the Taliban as we have little else to call on apart from Apache helicopters.

“The situation here is very challenging. The bad guys have huge influence – all we can do is bounce in and out of the area to capture or kill the targets we are given.”

In July, the Taliban took responsibility for a suicide bombing in Kabul which killed 24 people, including children.

The news comes as President Trump puts pressure on the UK to commit to sending more forces to Afghanistan.

Near 600 UK troops are based on the ground fighting the battle to regain the area on the Taliban, but Trump wants America to increase their 8,000 troops in the country, and has called on the allied nations to follow suit.