Afghan reinforcements reach Helmand as Taliban advance

The Afghan government on Wednesday rushed reinforcements to Helmand after Taliban militants captured large swathes of a strategic opium-producing district, prompting the first British troop deployment to the troubled province in 14 months.

The Islamists broke through the frontlines of Sangin district on Sunday after days of pitched clashes with besieged Afghan forces, tightening their grip on the southern province. The Taliban began advancing on the district centre after storming government buildings, sending civilians fleeing as fears grew that the entire province was on the verge of falling to the insurgents. Government reinforcements began arriving in Sangin after food and ammunition were air-dropped to besieged Afghan forces, deputy Helmand governor Mohammad Jan Rasoolyar said on Wednesday.

“I am confident that we will not lose Sangin,” said Rasoolyar, just days after he warned that Helmand was teetering on the brink. The war in Helmand, blighted by a huge opium harvest that helps fund the insurgency, underscores worsening security across Afghanistan a year after NATO formally ended its combat operations.