A HANDFUL of elite British troops, who held off 500 Taliban and al Qaida fighters for five days, are to be recommended for the US equivalent of the Victoria Cross, it was reported last night.

Five members of the Special Boat Service returned to rescue a badly wounded American CIA agent trapped after a violent uprising near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif.

The SBS troops - the Royal Navy's equivalent of the SAS - pulled out after fanatical Taliban and al Qaida prisoners held in a nearby fort seized control and turned on their captors, Sky News reported.

The uprising claimed the first American combat casualty of the war in Afghanistan when CIA interrogator, 32-year-old Johnny "Mike" Spann was beaten to death.

His unnamed colleague, who would almost certainly have shared the same fate, managed to hide in the fort.

One witness said that the man - named Dave - ran out of ammunition and was shot three times.

It was then the SBS troops - motto Not By Strength, By Guile - returned to rescue him and took part in a fierce firefight with the Taliban and al Qaida forces.

It was not until five days later that the prisoners were wiped out by tank fire and bombing by US war planes. Reports said that up to 400 may have been killed.

Senior sources within the Pentagon now say that the US wants to mark the courage of the five British troops, in particular their commander, with the Congressional Medal of Honour. Theoretically America's highest award for valour can only be awarded to US citizens, but it is thought the rule may be changed in this instance.

Meanwhile, the first batch of Royal Marines arrived in Afghanistan yesterday to take up their role in flushing out remaining pockets of Taliban and al Qaida fighters.

About 100 commandos touched down at Bagram airport, the first of 1,700 troops due be sent to the country to take part in the war against terrorism.

The bulk of the force is expected to join them in the near future.

Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon warned that the battle group could stay in Afghanistan longer than the expected three months.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has also indicated that Britain's other role in the country - leading the International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) force - may also go on longer than expected