The Sangin district of Helmand Province is known to be a breeding ground for insurgency and drug trafficking, bound by rugged mountains that are popular hiding places for Taliban rebels and a slippery, unguarded border with Pakistan. Isolated and dangerous, the longstanding base of communications is a key region for the Taliban to control.

Helmand encompasses 22,619 square miles of fertile ground, a concentrated region of rich soil and a major opium poppy growing region in Afghanistan. The lush acres of farmland are outlined by high mountains and dusty roads. The province is situated to the south, surrounded by the regions of Kandahar, Farah, Orozgan and Zabul.

In total, Helmand Province is home to more than 745,000 Afghanis, a surprising number of civilians given the perils of living in the region. Violence against US military units and Afghan security forces is the norm, but no one is safe from insurgent attacks. The United Nations were forced to suspended road missions to the area after a storm of vicious attacks on humanitarian workers took place. Last year, US military officials referred to Helmand Province as the very “home” of Afghanistan's Taliban.

The Taliban enjoys wide support in Helmand Province, for the extended families of several Taliban leaders reside here. The families of former Taliban leader Mullah Omar, and the movement's former supreme military commander, Mullah Berader, still reside in the region, leading US troops to conduct frequent house-to-house searches in the province for Taliban leaders, fighters and supporters.