U.S. airstrikes back Afghan forces fighting Taliban

(Vatican Radio) Reports characterized as “grim” and “desperate” are being used in reference to a Taliban takeover of the Sangin district of Afghanistan.

But officials deny that police and government buildings in the district centre have fallen to the insurgents.

Helmand abuts the Pakistani border, which makes it easy for the Taliban to resupply from its strongholds in Pakistan and maintain a steady stream of fighters.

Speaking in Kabul, Afghanistan’s acting Defence Minister Masoum Stanikzai described the situation in Helmand as “manageable” and said fresh support troops had been sent in.

A small unit of Danish soldiers, who for years fought in Helmand alongside the British and Americans, have also arrived at the former Camp Bastion, Col Jens Lønborg from the Danish army told Danish newspaper Politiken.

When asked by CNN of the reason, there was no response from Afghan officials even with repeated calls. When Afghanistans President Ashraf Ghani took office, he ushered in a period of hope for the countrys traumatized and war-weary people that decades of violence would soon end.

The British troops, which were actually deployed for the training, advisory, assistance and counter- terror mission in Afghanistan, have provided help. “They are not deployed in a combat role and will not deploy outside the camp”.

He said: “Support troops have been airdropped at a distance… but all roads are blocked and in the militants” control’.

The dramatic development came after United Kingdom forces returned to Helmand for the first time since troops pulled out of the country in October previous year.

The Taliban, meanwhile, issued a statement saying that foreign forces were directly involved in the fighting in Sangin and accusing them of carrying out airstrikes on residential areas. More than 100 British soldiers died in Sangin.

Sangin became symbolically important for Britain when it claimed 106 lives – almost a quarter of the nations’ dead – during the 13-year-long combat mission in Afghanistan.

Sangin is a fertile region that is host to the Afghanistan’s poppy trade.

“It was significant because of the routes it controlled and it was a very significant part of the resourcing of the political economy of Helmand, because it is a major center of drugs processing and drugs shipping”, said Gordon.

The strategically important district in the southern province of Helmand has been besieged by the Taliban for weeks.