3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, patrol through Sangin, watched by Afghan boys, Helmand Province, 2006

Digital photograph by Corporal Mike Fletcher, Royal Logistic Corps, Helmand Task Force Photographer, 2006.

Sangin, central to the opium trade in southern Helmand, has become one of the most heavily contested towns during the conflict in Afghanistan. British forces established a Forward Operating Post (FOP) in Sangin in 2006 and operations in and around the town have taken a heavy toll, accounting for the deaths of over 100 soldiers. American forces took over operations in Sangin in September 2010.

From a collection of images taken during Operation HERRICK IV, the UK's deployment into Helmand Province, Southern Afghanistan. Operation HERRICK IV.