ISAF and Afghan forces were pushing forward in Sangin district of southern Helmand province after regaining control of the district Friday. A force of over 1,000 Afghan and ISAF personnel supported by helicopters, armoured vehicles and infantry, retook the centre of the district and were still engaging the Taleban fighters, who showed ‘mild’ resistance, Lieutenant Colonel Maria Carl, spokeswoman for the NATO-led international Security Assistance Force (ISAF) told a press conference.She said the joint forces seized large weapon caches as the militants
Capturing Sangin district was the biggest success for Afghan and ISAF forces since the start of Operation Achilles at the beginning of March. The offensive, mainly focused in Helmand, brings together some 4,500 ISAF and 1,000 Afghan troops for the largest ISAF operation since the ouster of the Taleban regime in late 2001.
On Saturday, ISAF regional commander south, Major General Ton van Loon, visited troops in the centre of Sangin as the forces were still engaging the militants, a military statement said Sunday. ‘We continue to make steady progress in northern Helmand and even though the Sangin District centre is in the control of government of Afghanistan forces, Operation Achilles is not over,’ Loon said.
Colonel Angela Billings, an ISAF spokesperson said the joint forces engaged the militants six times since the start of the operation to retake the town, and their bases received several mortar attacks but no casualties were caused among the soldiers.
With Sangin recaptured, the Taleban still hold complete sway in three districts in Helmand and employ hit-and-run guerrilla tactics in other districts and the neighbouring southern provinces.