HERAT CITY (SW): Local officials in western Herat province have claimed that due to infighting between the Taliban militants in Shindand district, nearly 80 civilians have lost lives.
They said that several beheaded bodies have also been found in the district. These officials said that such incidents are war crimes.
The exact number of civilians’ casualties is not clear so far but a delegation has been tasked by the government to probe into the casualties inflicted upon the civilians in the district.
A number of residents and elders in Shindand said that once Mullah Nangyali’s group was defeated, Mullah Samad’s men broke into civilians’ houses and shot dead the residents. Nangyali is said to be a commander of the Taliban’s splinter group opposing Mullah Mansour.
Noor Mohammad Zarifi, a former member of Herat Provincial Council and one of the tribal elders, told Salam Watandar that men wearing masks and holding black flags attacked villages, which were under Mullah Nangyali’s control and started persecuting locals. He said that the government only has influence over government institutions, and if the situation continued, the district (Shindand) would fall to the militants.
Jailani Farhad, head of the media affairs in Herat, said that the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) have conducted a mop-up operation called ‘Azm’ in remote areas in the district. Farhad added that as a result of the operation, nearly 41 militants were killed and 50 more were injured.
The Taliban have yet to comment on the incident.It is worth mentioning that last week infighting triggered between Taliban groups in Shindandad district, and some 200 casualties were reported on both warring sides.
ENDS
