British troops are being sent to south Afghanistan’s Helmand province where Afghan forces are battling the Taliban for control of a strategic district, stated Britain’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) on Monday.
A MoD statement announced that “a small number of UK personnel” have been deployed to Helmand “in an advisory role”.
The United Kingdom currently has 450 troops in Afghanistan as part of Nato’s training mission. Fighting was still underway Tuesday in Helmand. In the Sangin district, most government buildings are now in Taliban hands. Afghan officials say the entire province is in danger of falling to the insurgents.
Helmand is a traditional stronghold of the Taliban and one of the biggest centers of opium production, which helps fund the insurgency.
Over the recent months, it has seen fierce fighting between the militants and Afghan forces. The militants are pressing their insurgency after the withdrawal of most international forces last year.
The British have lost more than 100 of their 456 fatalities in Afghanistan in the district.
