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SHARANA (SW): It has been a while since small and medium arms and ammunition sell openly in the Barmal district of southeastern Paktika province.
Locals and members of the provincial council have told Salam Watandar that the militants have been causing havoc in the province with supplies from this restive district. A resident of this district lying on the edge of the Durand Line with the South Wazirisitan said: “One can buy rockets that can hit target at a distance of some 120 meters, machineguns, vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) and even suicide vests”. Another local said that if the government really wants to bring peace in the province, it should dismantle this market.
Bakhtyar Gul Himmat, chairman of the provincial council has confirmed that the Laman area of the district is notorious for arms’ trade. “All sorts of arms and ammunitions are on sale here”, he said.
Local officials however, assert that all these claims are not true. Mohammad Ilyas Wahdat, the provincial governor has also rejected the reports about open sale of arms and ammunition in the province. “I don’t say that not a single militant is present here but there are absolutely no large groups active here. There are no arms’ depots in Barmal, these are just baseless rumors”, he said.
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