GHAZNI CITY (SW): Aminullah Amarkhil, the police chief in central Ghazni province has said that a group of 400 local and foreign militants have stormed the Andar district.
He told Salam Watandar that the local rebels have among their ranks militants from Pakistan and Chechnya. According to the police chief, the militants wanted to overrun the district and then wage attacks on the provincial capital. Amarkhail said that heavy clashes between the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and the Taliban are underway, and fresh troops have been sent to reinforce the security forces.
He added the Taliban, who are fighting in Andar district, are led by Pakistani military advisors, and the shadow Taliban governors in Logar and Paktiya provinces are also in the battle field. He further said the Taliban have not made any inroads yet as security forces have full control in Andar district.
Amarkhil stated that 32 Taliban fighters have been shot dead and 25 more have been wounded while 5 ANSF men have been killed while 2 more have been wounded during the clashes. He noted that the operation against the rebels has been slow because the militants are using civilians as human-shield, and are hiding in the civilians’ homes.
In the meantime, Khalilullah Hotak, Chief of High Peace Council in the province, expressed his concerns over the situation in Andar district.
Criticizing the security forces, he said that the ANSF do not have the will to eliminate the insurgents. He went on saying that it is only the Afghan Local Police (ALP) and the local uprising forces who are currently fighting against the Taliban insurgents.
ENDS
