Taliban strikes deep into Helmand province
Militant group now controls three districts captured by British and US forces during the Afghanistan war

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Taliban insurgents have made further gains in Helmand this week, seizing a strategically significant district headquarters on Monday despite bombing by US warplanes and resistance from the Afghan army.
Militants overran Helmand's Musa Qala district on Monday – an area that was originally taken from them by British and Afghan forces in 2008.
US warplanes bombed the advancing Taliban over the weekend, killing 40 fighters, but the insurgents regrouped and overran Musa Qala, forcing district government forces to retreat, Newsweek reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"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," said Afghan defence ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri.
The Taliban victory follows a withdrawal last week by Afghan soldiers from Nawzad – a neighbouring district captured by British and American troops during the war.
The withdrawal, in conjunction with the assault on Musa Qala, gives the Taliban control of three districts in northern Helmand as well as partial control of other parts of the region, including Kajaki, which allows them to disrupt the power supply from a large US-built hydroelectric dam.
What happens next?
A senior official in the Afghan Army’s 215 Maiwand Corps told the New York Times that "foreign forces" would be providing air support as the Afghan army moved to take Musa Qala back.
However, the loss of control of the region raises further questions over the achievements of US and UK forces in Afghanistan. As the UK ended combat operations in Afghanistan last year, the restoration of security in the most densely populated areas – the "green zone" – either side of the Helmand river was regarded as one of the allies' most significant successes, the BBC says. Consequently, the return of fighting to the region will be seen as a major blow as the Taliban's power continues to increase and poppy growing remains at record levels.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
China: a superpower’s slump
The Explainer After 40 years of explosive growth, China’s economy is now in deep distress — with no turnaround in sight
By The Week Staff Published
-
Retirees’ biggest surprise expense
Feature And more of the week's best financial insight
By The Week Staff Published
-
The United Auto Workers’ strike has put Democrats in a bind
Feature President Biden will have to pick a side in the dispute
By The Week Staff Published
-
Woman reunited with egg she signed in 1951
It Wasn't All Bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 16, 2023
Daily Briefing Ripple effects seen throughout auto industry as UAW strikes, Lee expected to bring flooding and storm winds to New England, and more
By Justin Klawans Published
-
American rescued after 12 days in Turkish cave
It wasn't all bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published
-
What Mexico’s first female president might mean for the ‘femicide nation’
feature The Latin American country is grappling with misogynist crime amid a backdrop of progress for women in politics
By Rebekah Evans Published
-
Ukrainian military has ‘shown how the Russian army can be beaten’
Talking Point Recent Ukrainian frontline advances may offer hope for its counter-offensive
By The Week Staff Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Protests in Syria: could they bring down the Assad regime?
Talking Point Threat to power grows amid poverty, inflation and ‘botched’ response to earthquake
By The Week Staff Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published