US deploys 100 troops to south Afghanistan

Brigadier General Charles Cleveland

Around 100 US troops have been deployed to a southern city in Afghanistan which risks falling to the Taliban militants.

The spokesman for the US forces in Afghanistan, Brigadier General Charles Cleveland, said Monday the soldiers have arrived in Helmand's provincial capital Lashkar Gah to train and support Afghan troops.

The general said the troops would serve as a "new presence to assist the police zone," adding that Afghan security forces have conducted airstrikes in the area.

The Taliban have seized a number of districts in Helmand, Baghlan and Takhar provinces in the past weeks.

Afghanistan is still suffering from insecurity and violence years after the United States and its allies invaded the country in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror.

The military invasion removed the Taliban from power, but their militancy continues to this day.

In October last year, Obama announced plans to keep 9,800 US troops in Afghanistan through 2016 and 5,500 in 2017, reneging on his promise to end the war there and bring home most American forces from the Asian country before he leaves office.

Reports say the northern city of Kunduz is also on the verge of falling to the Taliban. According to the Afghan Defense Ministry, government troops are currently battling the Taliban in at least 15 provinces.

"Around 80 percent of the province is under the control of the insurgents," said Omer Zwak, spokesman for the provincial governor in Helmand.

"There are a number of districts that the government claims are under their control, but the government is only present in the district administrative center and all around are under the control of the insurgents," he added.