The Strategic Victory of Sangin

The armies of the Islamic Emirate have traversed another milestone by conquering the strategic Sangin district. The district center of Sangin province was under an intense month-long siege. The enemy, despite foreign air power, failed to parry the blows of the Mujahideen and finally, two days ago vacated this bastion to the Mujahideen.

The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman – Qari Yusuf Ahmadi – confirmed that the besieged regime soldiers at Sangin were flown off the district center and then the Americans bombed the district center and the adjoining Police headquarters however the bombing caused minor damage to the heavy equipment left behind by the enemy which subsequently all fell into Mujahideen hands.

The outlying areas of Sangin province have for a long time been under the control of Islamic Emirate soldiers. The district market was itself heavy contested with the area changing hands several times over the last two years. Last month the Mujahideen attacked all three areas and seized the market thus depriving the regime soldiers from their last contact with the district populace and tightened the noose around the enemy.

At the insistence of the regime, the Americans heavily bombed Sangin bazaar and caused widespread financial loss to the stakeholders as well as causing death and injury to 39 civilians, mostly women and children. The following night the enemy took no respite and again bombed the district, this time killing and injuring 15 more civilians.

The enemy utilized aerial bombardments, commando raids, and indiscriminate artillery shelling to force the Mujahideen to retreat and break its encirclement. Having failed in their attempts the enemy knew its objective of maintaining a presence in the district was a forlorn hope and abandoned the district to the Taliban.

Sangin is both a strategic and symbolic district for both sides. The British – who were initially allocated Helmand province – fought tooth and nail to defend this district and admit to having lost over a hundred soldiers in this district. For the Islamic Emirate the victory of Sangin symbolizes the unwavering spirit of the uprising against invaders and makes them the unchallenged masters of northern Helmand. With this important victory, the Mujahideen have opened up operational lines between Kandahar, Helmand and Uruzgan provinces and can throw its brunt at a time and place of its choosing.