Afghan official: Taliban capture district in Helmand
An important district in Afghanistan's southern poppy-growing province of Helmand has reportedly fallen to Taliban control after heavy fighting that killed or wounded up to 20 police officers.
Abdul Majeed Akhonzada, deputy director of the provincial council, said that the fall of Kanashin district "into Taliban hands" means "Taliban are in control of 60 percent of Helmand." The precise casualty figures cannot be confirmed, as bodies litter the ground and fighting was still underway.
Kanashin is a major smuggling route for opium. Helmand produces most of the world's opium, which helps fund the Taliban's insurgency.
