Afghan forces battle to flush out Taliban

Military planes have dropped food and ammunition to besieged Afghan forces battling to push Taliban insurgents out of Sangin, officials said yesterday, two days after the emboldened militants stormed the opium-growing district.

But there are conflicting reports as to who controls the whole district.

The Helmand governor and police dismissed Taliban reports that it now controlled it as "totally false".

Sangin district has fallen to Taliban control several times and the fighting has caused significant casualties among Afghan and international forces.

Three rockets were also fired into Kabul overnight on Monday.

Some 12,000 foreign soldiers are deployed in the country as part of the Nato-led Resolute Support international coalition, which is meant to underpin Afghan security forces.

Britain has announced that a small number of UK personnel have been deployed to Camp Shorabak in Helmand province in an advisory role. The BBC understands there are 10 such personnel.