Afghan forces fortify Sangin besieged by Taliban December 23, 2015 - 10:49 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Military reinforcements have arrived in the Afghan town of Sangin to support police and soldiers besieged by Taliban militants, the BBC quotes the Helmand district governor as saying. Mohammad Jan Rasoulyar also said that military planes had dropped food supplies for government positions in Sangin. He said the army was "now taking the fight to the Taliban". Civilians have been fleeing the town amid continuing bitter fighting. The Taliban insist that their siege of the town is not over "and the government will soon announce their defeat". According to a BBC defense correspondent, the struggle for Sangin is just part of a wider battle for control in Helmand province. The correspondent says that if it were to fall into Taliban hands it would be a serious reverse for the government in a province that has been a major center of the Taliban insurgency with important supply routes for the opium trade. Its proximity to Pakistan also serves to give the area a broader strategic significance. In fighting throughout Tuesday, December 22, Afghan forces struggled to hold the police HQ in the town amid conflicting reports about the fate of the whole district. The Helmand governor and police dismissed as "totally false" Taliban reports that they now controlled it. Sangin district has fallen to Taliban control several times and the fighting has caused significant casualties among Afghan and international forces.  Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot".   Partner news |  Latest news International cybercrime ringleaders arrested in Armenia, Ukraine  Europol, Europe's crime agency, has arrested four ringleaders of several cybercrime networks that used botnets.Armenia skips CSTO Defense Ministers meeting A meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization countries began in Almaty.Armenian, Iranian foreigh policy chief talk over the phone The Foreign Minister of Armenia once again expressed condolences to his counterpart on the death of the President of Iran.Armenia, U.S. customs authorities to boost assistance with new deal The government has approved an agreement with the U.S. government on mutual assistance between the customs authorities. |
