Sources in Helmand say about 130 US troops have arrived to their base in the region, the Guardian writes.
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“One U.S. service member died as a result of wounds sustained during operations near Lashkar Gah in Helmand”, NATO said in a statement.
The Pentagon did not release the name of the USA soldier killed because of its long-standing policy to first notify family members.
Army Gen. John W. Nicholson, commander of Resolute Support and of U.S. Forces Afghanistan, also offered condolences. “But we don’t believe that Lashkar Gah is about to fall”, said Cleveland.
The need for US troops in traditional Taliban strongholds like Lashkar Gah and the dangers they are encountering reaffirm the complexities of America’s efforts to extract itself from what has become its longest running war.
The blast wounded another American, who is said to be in stable condition, and six Afghan soldiers.
“Around 80% of the province is under the control of the insurgents”, he said. Gen. Charles Cleveland, spokesman for North Atlantic Treaty Organisation forces in Afghanistan, said on Monday.
“As for Lashkar Gah, we believe that situation is calm within the city”.
Over the past several months, Taliban militants have intensified their pressure with numerous offensives on other Afghan key provinces, including Kunduz and Takhar. Afghan commandos have been leading the battles, in some cases backed by strikes from Afghan aircraft.
“What we are seeing is the Taliban demonstrating their resilience in Kunduz, which the group briefly held some time ago, while also showcasing its continued strength in a traditional bastion”, said Kugelman. “I don’t think that the control of Lashkar Gah will have a huge impact on the Taliban financing because many opium-producing districts in Helmand have already been under their control for many years”, he added.
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But the Helmand operation is against the Taliban – an al-Qaeda-allied group that the USA government won’t brand a terrorist organization as they encourage the Afghan government in Kabul to strike a deal with the Taliban. The US troops are installed under the guise of Resolute Support’s “Train, Advise, Assist” mission to support Afghan troops, however these troops are often in direct combat with the Taliban.
