Taliban takes key Sangin locations as British troops deployed to help Afghan

[zenitzz]

Taliban takes key Sangin locations as British troops deployed to help Afghan forces


Ministry of Defence says British soldiers not taking any combat role, amid reports that SAS and US special forces deployed to help retake lost ground in Helmand


The Afghanistan government has suffered a serious setback after a Taliban offensive succeeded in taking control of much of Sangin, the Helmand town that became totemic for British forces, accounting for a third of their casualties.

The fall of key locations in and around the town on Sunday and Monday comes just a year after Nato pulled combat troops out of Afghanistan. Since then the Taliban has made inroads in Helmand and elsewhere around the country.

The Ministry of Defence said British troops have been deployed to help local forces, but would not take any combat role and would only provide advisory support.

Reports in the Times and Wall Street Journal said the SAS and US special forces have been deployed to help retake lost ground in the province.

The MoD refused to comment on any operations involving the SAS. A spokeswoman said: “As part of the UK’s ongoing contribution to Nato’s Resolute Support Mission, a small number of UK personnel have deployed to Camp Shorabak in Helmand province in an advisory role.

“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 Taliban stormed the police headquarters, the administrative headquarters, the intelligence agency office and other offices in Sangin. But Afghan officials said their forces, including the air force, were battling to regain control.

The battle for Sangin came as Taliban suicide bomber killed six American Nato soldiers at Bagram airport, near Kabul. It was the most deadly attack on Nato troops since August.

The Taliban occupation of Sangin rekindled controversy over the British deployment to Helmand. Sangin became a symbol for British miscalculation, with questions raised about the strategic value of holding the town, given its remoteness and its position as a key junction in a major poppy-producing area. More than 100 British troops were killed.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/22/much-of-sangin-in-taliban-hands-amid-reports-uk-and-us-have-deployed-special-forces

[bryant.coleman]

Afghanistan is a lawless country, where the warlords do whatever they want. Bombing the Taliban, and fighting them on the ground will not bring a long-term victory. You need to treat the disease, rather than the symptom if you want to defeat the Taliban. The booming population and illiteracy are the major drivers behind the Taliban insurgency. My solution - implement a strict one-child policy, and make education compulsory for the males as well as the females. In a few years time, the insurgency will be history.