Afghan troops fighting Taliban for key district in Helmand
Afghan forces are fighting the Taliban for a key district in the southern Helmand province.
Fighting was going on Thursday in the Sangin district, which Taliban claim to have captured following a British deployment.
People fleeing the district reported Taliban executions of captured soldiers as the militants advanced on the district center.
Some reports said the district had not fallen to Taliban and the militant group had only besieged a base there.
Government officials also denied reports of Sangin’s fall, saying troops were trying to help dozens of security forces besieged in the district center.
Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said Afghan army commandos and police have launched an operation in Sangin, claiming heavy casualties among the militants.
Late on Wednesday, the US military carried out two airstrikes in the vicinity of Sangin, according to the the NATO mission in Afghanistan.
An army spokesman said Afghan warplanes also bombarded Taliban strongholds in Sangin overnight, killing 25 militants and wounding another 12.
The Taliban have been fighting for control of Sangin for nearly a month. The battle intensified a week ago as government reinforcements failed to arrive, with Afghan security forces holed up inside an army base.
On Thursday, the militants issued a statement setting conditions for peace talks to end the war with Kabul, now in its 14th year.
The statement listed "obstacles" to negotiations, including UN sanctions on Taliban members, which were extended this week, and the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan.
A former stronghold of the Taliban and an opium production hub, Helmand has been the scene of fierce fighting between militants and government forces over the past months.
On September 28, the Taliban stormed the northern city of Kunduz and held it for three days before being driven out by the army.
Afghanistan faces a security challenge years after the US and its allies invaded the country as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror.
The war removed the Taliban from power, but the militants are continuing their deadly attacks across the country after more than 14 years.
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