pin down#2

　タリバン勢力が，Sangin地区の戦いでアフガニスタン軍数十名を殺害したと声明を出しました。現在では，タリバン勢力によって制圧されたこの地区を取り戻すために，アフガニスタン軍が動きを見せているようです。
　記事の中で気になった表現は"pin down"です。『Wisdom英和辞典第三版』（三省堂）によると「<人>を組み伏せる, 押さえつける，＜正体･時間など＞を突き止める, 正確に知る」などという意味がありました。Oxford Dictionaries On-lineには"Hold (someone) firmly in a specified position so they are unable to move"と定義されております。"pin"の語源が「留めくぎ(peg)」であることからも想像できる意味であると思いました。（Ume）

Afghanistan: Officials say dozens of Taliban killed in battle for Sangin

Afghan forces have been trying to recapture the area from the Taliban, who claim to control the district.
Afghan officials said they retook key buildings in a counter-attack, while the US carried out air strikes.
The ministry named the dead commander as Mullah Nasir, a confidant of Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour.
Strategically located, and a centre for opium production, Sangin would be a significant gain for the Taliban.
Fighting around the town has escalated in the past week, and by Wednesday the militants said they had captured all of Sangin, pinning down government troops in an army barracks.
This was denied by the Afghan defence ministry, who said fighting was continuing and that reinforcements had been sent.
The interior ministry said the Afghan army and police commandos launched an operation late on Wednesday, leading to the deaths of the Taliban commander and his fighters.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35174126
pin down - 田邉祐司ゼミ 常時英心：言葉の森から