Sangin police chief tells Afghan government to 'dig 200 graves' with city on verge of collapse

British troops are being deployed in an 'advisory' role to Sangin - but it may not be enough to stop it falling to the Taliban

Members from J company 42 Commando Royal Marines launch an offensive in Sangin in 2007 (EPA)

Government forces besieged in the strategic town of Sangin in Afghanistan have told their government it may as well start digging their graves as the Taliban closed in.

Helmand's governor has told the BBC that military reinforcement are on their way to support what little police presence is left to hold the city from militants.

But there seemed little hope among the 200 or so soldiers remaining amid dwindling food supplies and a shortage of ammunition.

The Taliban itself said on Wednesday night that the siege continued and the government "will soon announce their defeat".

Acccording to The Times, Mohammad Dawood, the police chief of Sangin, rang governor Mirza Khan Rahimi to bemoan the lack of support the city has received.

His call reportedly expressed the bitterness of troops on the ground who feel abandoned by both their government and the international coalition, and ordered him to "prepare 200 graves".

The collapse of Sangin, dubbed "the most dangerous place in Helmand", would cap the resurgence of the Taliban and represent a significant strategic failure for the Afghan leadership.