KAPISA (SW) – A number of civil society activists and residents of Kapisa have raised grim concerns over rising insecurity and criminal offenses such as mysterious assassinations, targeted killings, armed robberies, harassment and the activities of irresponsible gunmen in the province.
In an interview with Salam Watandar, Hashmatullah Ishaqzadeh, head of the Kapisa Civil Society, blamed the newly released criminals from prisons for the insecurity and said that prisoners released on the basis of a presidential decree have reunited with their main gang members.
According to him, a number of irresponsible gunmen entered a mosque in the village of Diristan in the province and took cash and mobile phones from the worshipers and killed one of the worshipers recently. Residents of Kapisa, also worried about rising insecurity and criminal activity in the province, said they have nowhere safe to go be it the mosques, bazaar, streets, or the farms.
Shakir Shirzad and Nadim Afzali, two Kapisa residents, said that the gunmen commit murders and robberies even near the homes of high-ranking security officials in the province without any fear. They call on the provincial administration and security officials to stop the mounting clout of criminals here.
Meanwhile, Abdul Shaykh Shorash, head of the Kapisa Police Command's media office, said a number of the released detainees have been arrested and sent back to prison in connection with the growing insecurity. He added that the limited number of police force in Kapisa was another reason for the increase in criminal offenses in the province.
Kapisa is a mountainous province in the northeast of Kabul. Currently, there are a number of irresponsible gunmen in the central districts of Mahmoud Raqqi and the districts of Hesa I, Hesa II and Kuhband in the province.
On the other hand, a number of residents of neighboring Parwan province are also concerned about the increase in insecurity, criminal incidents, especially the activities of irresponsible gunmen and armed robbers in the center of the province.
They accuse the police of failing to provide security to the people.
Mohammad Shaker, a resident of Parwan, said that a 15-year-old boy was killed and two others, including a security officer, were injured in a clash between irresponsible gunmen in Charikar about two weeks ago. He said police had not yet arrested the perpetrators.
Abdul Nasser, a goldsmith in the city of Charikar, told Salam Watandar that last week, armed robbers stole about a kilo of gold and 300,000 afghanis in cash from near a police checkpoint near the city's central crossroads after killing the trader. According to him, the thieves managed to flee in bright day light. Parwan residents are urging security officials to ensure the safety of their lives and property.
Meanwhile, Abdul Wase Rahimi, security chief of the Parwan Police Command, said that the perpetrators of the shooting and the theft of gold and money from a goldsmith in the town of Charikar had been identified and that police were looking to arrest them.
Rahimi, while acknowledging criticism of rising insecurity in the province, stressed that the police are working to ensure the safety of people's lives and property.
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