Firing in the Taliban-controlled Sangin district of Helmand continued as army and police arrived to secure the area taken over by Taliban fighters, said the Afghanistan acting Defense Minister Masoom Stanekzai on Wednesday. The security forces needed immediate military help, particularly air support to reduce casualties, according to the Associated Press.
"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 Helmand expert, Stuart Gordon.
"The Helmand battle is not easy because the province has a long border, is a core of opium production, and our enemies are well-equipped and deeply involved in the smuggling of drugs," Stanekzai said. "These factors complicate the battle for Sangin."
The Taliban has threatened districts across Helmand in recent months. Officials say only the army base is still in government hands after this current battle which cut off supply lines of ammunition and food, which now are unable to reach the government forces.
British troops arrived over the weekend to help the Afghan forces under non-combat roles. "These personnel are part of a larger NATO team, which is providing advice to the Afghan National Army. They are not deployed in a combat role and will not deploy outside the camp," the British Ministry of Defense said in a statement, according to CNN.
"We already said that our forces are weak and need backup but because we have no communication with our forces, we don't know whether the Taliban have captured Sangin or not," said Helmand's deputy governor, Mohammad Jan Rasulyar, according to News OK.
"We need help, we can't hold them for much longer," Afghan army soldier Yaseen Zamarai told the Associated Press by phone. "It's not that we are afraid of death, but we didn't think that our brothers would leave us like this."
Stanekzai said he felt the arrival of new troops to the battle would reinvigorate the Afghan fight, stating "this should help cut the number of casualties, and provide much-needed logistical support."
