Siege of Sangin | |||||||
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Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the Helmand province campaign | |||||||
A British patrol in Sangin. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Coalition: United Kingdom Canada United States Denmark Estonia Netherlands | Taliban | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Stuart Tootal |
Tor Jan Haji Nika | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
120–150 soldiers (DC garrison) 1,000 relief forces | Unknown | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
9 killed[1] | "Dozens to several hundred" killed[2] |
The siege of Sangin was a military engagement which occurred between June 2006 and April 2007, between Taliban insurgents and the British Army during the war in Afghanistan. During the engagement, the district centre of Sangin District in Helmand Province was occupied by British forces and was completely surrounded by Taliban fighters. At one point fighting became intensive, causing General David J. Richards, the then-NATO commander in Afghanistan, to declare that Helmand province had seen the fiercest fighting involving British troops since the Korean War.[3] The siege became emblematic of the difficulty of the mission being carried out by British soldiers in Afghanistan, who nicknamed it "Sangingrad" (in reference to the Battle of Stalingrad).[4]