Sangin: 5 reasons an Afghan town of just 14,000 people is so important

The district of Sangin, located in Helmand Province, has become a flashpoint of heavy fighting between Afghan forces and the Taliban. 

Government forces, with the help of US air strikes, have been trying to recapture the area from the Taliban, who say they are in control of the district. 

Sources in Sangin told The Independent that the Afghan army had been forced to abandon its base and the police headquarters in the town. “The Taliban are in control of the district,” a source said. A Taliban spokesperson later said: “Sangin district has completely collapsed to the Taliban.”

But why is Sangin, a town of just 14,000 people, so important?