Taliban Seizes Key Helmand District Musa Qala
Musa Qala - where dozens of British troops died - has been taken by the Taliban, months after being returned to Afghans.
Thursday 27 August 2015 09:29, UK
The Taliban has retaken the opium-rich Musa Qala - a place once protected by British soldiers, 23 of whom died there.
UK and American forces led the fight against the Taliban in the Afghan district, which lies in the country's Helmand province, and straddles smuggling routes.
It was taken by British and Afghan troops eight years ago and was entrusted to US forces in March 2010.
Last October, both Britain and America withdrew from Helmand.
Musa Qala's governor Mohammad Sharif said it had been encircled for five days before more than 100 Taliban fighters attacked.
With no assistance, local forces were overwhelmed and many residents were forced to flee.
Mr Sharif said: "We had asked for reinforcements for days but none arrived and this was what happened."
Lashkar Gah, the capital city of Helmand, is now under threat, he added.
Dawlat Waziri, a spokesman for the country's defence ministry, said: "Afghan special forces, police and commandos have been deployed to Helmand in order to retake Musa Qala district.
"Foreign air strikes are backing our forces."
Since Afghan forces also lost the town of Nawzad last week, which was also fought for by British and US soldiers, the Taliban now has control over three districts in northern Helmand.
They have partial control of several others, including Kajaki, where they often hijack supplies from the dam that powers the area.
Two American troops were shot dead by a man in Afghan uniform at the former British base of Camp Bastion in the second incident of its kind this year.
The camp was handed over to Afghan forces last year when the coalition withdrew from Afghanistan, leaving just 12,000 NATO troops behind to train Afghan security forces.