1st LD Writethru: Khanshin district in S. Afghanistan falls to Taliban

Khanshin district in the southern Helmand province fell to the Taliban militants on Tuesday, a local official said.

"Taliban militants overrun Khanshin district in the wee hours of today," the official told Xinhua but refused to be identified, saying authorized officials would talk to media.

Meanwhile, spokesman for Helmand provincial government Omar Zawak when approached by Xinhua said that "Security forces vacated Khanshin district last night" and the government has no plan at the moment to shift there.

Taliban outfit has also claimed that Khanshin is in full control of its fighters.

Earlier, Taliban militants also briefly captured Nawa district of Helmand province on Monday but the security forces recaptured it.

Fierce fighting has been continuing between Taliban and government forces in several parts of the poppy growing Helmand province over the past couple of years. Enditem