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Afghanistan
Clashes in Lashkargah Continue on 5th Day of Helmand Fighting
2020-10-15


2 Helicopters Crash in Helmand, 9 Killed: MoD
[ToloNews] At least nine people were killed when two Afghan National Army (ANA) MI-17 helicopters "crashed due to technical issues" in Nawa district of Helmand early on Wednesday morning, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said.

The MoD stated that the incident happened at 1:15am local time and is being investigated.

Previously, security sources said that between eight to 15 people were killed after two helicopters collided in Nawa.

The incident happened after the helicopters had dropped commandos off and were carrying wounded security forces, the sources said.

Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor, confirmed there was an incident in Nawa district but has not provided details.

Clashes have been ongoing over the past four days in several part of Lashkargah, the capital of Helmand, and Nadi Ali district after the Taliban attacked the city and the district on Sunday.

On Monday night, Afghan commandos with air support launched an operation in Lashkargah, local officials said on Tuesday.

The operation is still ongoing and involves the 601 highway, Nad Ali district and the Babaji area in PD4 of Lashkargah, officials said on Tuesday. “So far 23 Taliban have been killed and the security forces have created five new checkpoints in Nad Ali district following the Taliban attack three days earlier.

Helmand Battle Dislocates 35,000 Civilians: UNAMA
[KhaamaPress] The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) says the ongoing fighting in Helmand province over the past four days has left 35,000 people homeless.

According to UNAMA thousands of people have been displaced in Helmand over the past four days due to ongoing fighting between Afghan security forces and the Taliban, which could lead to a major crisis.

Clashes in Lashkargah Continue on 5th Day of Helmand Fighting
[ToloNews] Clashes between government forces and the Taliban in Lashkargah and surrounding areas have entered their fifth day. In the latest development, at least nine people were killed when two Afghan National Army (ANA) MI-17 helicopters "crashed due to technical issues" in Nawa district of Helmand early on Wednesday morning, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said.

Amid deteriorating security, Afghan acting Minister of Defense Assadullah Khalild on Wednesday visited Lashkargah where he pledged to improve the security situation.

Clashes have been ongoing in several parts of Lashkargah, the capital of Helmand, and Nadi Ali district. The Taliban began their attacks on the city and other districts on the weekend.

On Monday night, Afghan commandos with air support launched an operation in Lashkargah, according to local officials.

Over the past few days, the Taliban managed to take over several checkpoints in PD4 of Lashkargah city and in some areas of Nawa and Nad-e-Ali.

“You can see that Helmand youth are struggling shoulder-to-shoulder alongside their security forces to crush the enemies of the motherland. They are the youth of Helmand and the country,” said General Nazar, a commander of the Afghan National Army (ANA)

Meanwhile, local sources in Helmand have said that a local force (Sangorian) which operates within the government defense structure was responsible for security along parts of the Helmand-Kandahar highway and the Lashkargah security belt, and"these forces evacuated their check posts without any resistance."

Sources said that the evacuation paved the way for the Taliban to infiltrate the Kandahar-Helmand highway and the city outskirts.

There are 2,000 fighters serving in the Sangorian force. They only operate in Helmand province.

“We are familiar with all tactics of the Taliban, we also operate in their uniform and fight against them,” said Samiullah, a member of the Sangorian force.

“We have the same uniform as (the Taliban) have, they do not recognize us, we even ate food once with them, they didn’t recognize us, but we left the scene after killing our targets,” said Sediqullah, a member of the Sangorian force.

“It has been created by the NDS. In many cases, they have been proved very useful, but the collapse of some checkpoints recently came due to lack of weapons,” said Attaullah Afghan, the head of Helmand provincial council.

“The Sangorians don't have the capacity to hold their ground,” said Senator Hashem Alokozay.

Footage shared on social media show some of the Sangorian forces surrendering to the Taliban.

“If a checkpoint is overrun without resistance, it means they have surrendered to the enemy,” said Atiqullah Amarkhel, a military expert in Kabul.

It is said that the Sangorian military forces are supported by the National Directorate of Security (NDS), Afghanistan's intelligence agency.

Initially, there were 100 soldiers serving in the force, but the Helmand governor has said the group was later deployed to take responsibility for the security of Lashkargah after they proved their strength.
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