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KUNDUZ CITY (SW): The provincial council has said that security forces surrendered 13 villages in the northeast and at the center of Kunduz province to Taliban “without any resistance” on Wednesday.
The villages were recently retaken by the security forces from the Taliban insurgents.
Amrudin Wali, head of the provincial council, said the security forces had cleared the villages from the Taliban with extreme effort resulting in the displacement of dozens of families, but with negligence of provincial administration, the Taliban recaptured the villages.
The head of provincial council added that the village dwellers of southeast such as Hazrat Sultan, Arabs, Aurtablaqi, Chabarma, Aishans and several other villagers were ready to join people’s uprising ranks against the Taliban insurgents, but they were failed by the provincial administration.
Ahmad Jawid Salim, the spokesman for the provincial commandos, said after 14 days of military operations the 13 northeast villages of Kunduz were cleaned from the insurgents, the provincial military council decided that the commandos should clear out from the area, but the local authorities did not send security forces to hold the villages.
According to the spokesman for the provincial commandos, the commandos have the duty to clean areas from insurgents, but other security forces are required to hold the area secure who were not present as the commandos left the villages.
A sources from provincial governor’s office on conditions of anonymity told Salam Watandar that the lack of responsibility by army and police resulted in the return of the Taliban insurgents to the villages.
But, provincial police headquarters, rejecting the allegations said the retreat of security forces from the area does not mean weakness. Abdul Hamid Hamidi, provincial police chief, called the retreat part of the operations and assured that security forces will battle till insurgents are killed. “More than 40 Taliban insurgents are killed and 50 are injured as a result of the operations”, added Hamidi.
However, Zabiullah Mujahid, the spokesman for the Taliban, claimed to Salam Watandar that the security forces lost the 14-day battle and the Taliban lost 8 men and 5 more were injured.
ENDS
