Extra Afghan troops rushed to Sangin to battle Taliban attack

The crisis in Helmand has piled pressure on the government of President Ashraf Ghani, which was rocked by the fall of the northern city of Kunduz, seized by Taliban fighters in late September and held for several days.

Afghan commanders have called for North Atlantic Treaty Organisation back up after the Taliban claimed to have taken control of the strategic town of Sangin.

Afghan security forces patrol the Nad Ali district of Helmadn province, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) says the United Kingdom team is working in an advisory role only. It was a key focus of Nato’s involvement in Afghanistan.

That’s made it almost impossible for the Afghan army to reinforce and resupply security force units who are essentially cut off by the Taliban’s advance.

Shadi Khan, a tribal elder in Sangin who is also director of the Sangin District Council, said he was trapped in the base for three days before government forces arrived.

Heavy fighting is reported to be continuing between Afghan forces and Taliban militants in the district of Sangin in the southern province of Helmand, which the militants overran earlier this week. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Play video “Sangin Battle: Why Is It Important?” Anytime, he issued a warning that all of Helmand could fall to the Taliban, if the President will not take action.

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

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

Afghanistan’s spy agency chief resigned this month after a scathing Facebook post that vented frustration over Ghani’s diplomatic outreach to Pakistan.

Political analyst Haroun Mir said such incidents were an indication of “how remote the political elite have become from the reality on the ground”, obsessed with infighting and intrigue rather than fixing the country’s problems.

All but two of Helmand’s 14 districts are now controlled or contested by the Taliban, who have also taken ground in other areas of the country.

The war in Helmand, seen as the epicentre of the expanding insurgency, underscores worsening security in Afghanistan a year after North Atlantic Treaty Organisation formally ended its combat operations.

Now, people are starting to believe the Taliban are indeed stronger than the government.

“An hour later we recaptured that building and now we have it”, claimed Akhtar Muhammad, a police commander in Sangin district. “And do something”, Mir said. Reports revealed that the Afghan fighters have run out of weapons and supplies. It provides training, advice and assistance – as well as substantial funding – to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces.

Spokesman for the Afghan army in Helmand, Guam Rasoul Zazai said air strikes bombarded Taliban strongholds in Sangin overnight, killing 25 insurgents and wounding another 12. “It is a confidence thing”.

The movement comes just days after a suicide bomb attack outside Bagram airfield where as many as six USA personnel were killed.