Taliban will try to ’retake’ Helmand province, says report

The Taliban will try to 'retake' the Afghan province of Helmand once foreign forces withdraw at the end of 2014, according to a study by academics from the Department of War Studies at King's College London, published today in the Chatham House journal International Affairs . The report also criticises British commanders for triggering 'a violent intensification of the insurgency' by sending thousands of soldiers to the province in 2006. Offering unique insight into the insurgency's perspective through more than 100 s with Taliban commanders, the report says the Taliban has proven 'remarkably resilient' to pressure from British and US forces. The study examines the evolution of the Taliban insurgency in Helmand since 2006, reporting on the centralization of its organisational structure, more militarized shadow government, and greater professionalism of field units.