KABUL (SW) – Abdullah Abdullah, chief executive officer of the National Unity Government, said today the fighting in Uruzgan province is not based on ethnic rift.
He said this addressing a cabinet session here on Monday. This comes as the Arg (presidential palace) has pronounced the deadly clashes in Uruzgan province as an ethnic rift.
Abdullah said residents of Khas Uruzgan district are complaining about the lingering clashes and the government’s stance on this matter. He said addressing the concerns of the displaced families is top priority of the government, and stressed the matter must be resolved.
The fighting in Uruzgan also stirred heated debate in the Wolesi Jirga (lower house) today. Members criticized the government for failing to control the fighting and pronouncing it as an ethnic rift. The house called for swift measures for peace and sending a fact-finding mission to the province.
Calling for an end to the fighting, Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, speaker of the house, dubbed the clashes in Uruzgan as a catastrophe. He said the perpetrators behind it should be brought to justice.
Following criticism over the Arg’s stance on this matter, the presidential palace reviewed its statement.
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