Afghan authorities deny Sangin has fallen to Taliban

The fight for Sangin has been particularly ferocious, with officials saying that only the army base was still in government hands until Tuesday. In spite of repeated calls for help addressed to the central government in Kabul, no reinforcements were sent. Anytime, he issued a warning that all of Helmand could fall to the Taliban, if the President will not take action.

However, these troops are not deployed for combat as part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

The decision to send around 10 British advisers back to the former United Kingdom military base Camp Bastion – following the deployment of SAS troops to halt the militant advance – was taunted by the Taliban as “stupid”. “Same as before, they will face a bitter defeat and disgrace, as they faced in the past 14 years”. “But it’s when they’re left to their own devices that they seem to struggle”.

And on Wednesday, the Taliban claimed to have captured the district of Gulistan in Farah, a remote western province, but governer Asif Nang said the claim was “baseless”.

Although the Taliban already hold three districts in Helmand, Sangin’s status resonates because of the hundreds of British and USA soldiers and marines killed and wounded while fighting in the district. “We hope they will make further progress today”.

Both sides suffered heavy casualties, according to Abdul Majid Akhundzada, deputy head of Helmand provincial council. “Even soldiers with minor injuries lost their lives”.

Afghan officials and tribal elders confirmed to ABC News that while fighting continues, key buildings have been reclaimed by Afghan forces.

Fleeing residents reported Taliban executions of captured soldiers as the insurgents advanced on the district centre, compounding fears that the entire province was on the brink of a security collapse.

Other reports suggested that government forces were still fighting in the centre of Sangin but were cut off from any help. These troops are supposedly not to be deployed outside the camp, the ministry said. The bombing was meant to bolster embattled government forces who may be on the verge of losing control over the country’s largest province. “Otherwise they will lose the district and all the forces will be killed”. Approximately 9,800 United States troops remain in the country and are involved in training or advisory roles.

The Nato withdrawal of foreign troops has deprived the Afghans of much needed air power for strikes and medical evacuations.

Fighting is continuing in the southern province of Helmand to hold off the extremist group, which has taken control of a number of strategic sites, a cting defence minister Masoom Stanekzai said.