LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Taliban's former stronghold in the southern Helmand province has been the scene of increasing insurgency and bloody conflicts for more than a decade.
Notorious for growing poppies for the drug trade and continued militancy, the restive Helmand province has been regarded as a Taliban hotbed and the most volatile province in the conflict-ridden country where intense fighting has escalated over the past couple of weeks, as Taliban militants are attempting to besiege the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah, the key city in the southern region.
Fighting between government forces and Taliban militants has claimed hundreds of lives from both sides, and has forced thousands of families to leave their homes for safer places over the past couple of years.
Taliban militants, of late, are more active in Helmand province than in any other part of the country and the armed outfit, according to locals, currently have completely controlled over five districts and have tightened their grip on nine other districts, forcing the government to send reinforcements to consolidate its positions.
More than 200 militants, according to officials, have been killed in the fight for control of Helmand in the last fortnight, and almost the same number of government forces have also lost their lives over the past two weeks, according to Taliban claims.
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