PUL-I-KHUMRI (SW) – The Taliban’s stubborn attacks on security check posts around Pul-i-Khumri city have caused grim concerns among the residents in the city.
Bismillah Attash, member of the provincial council, told Salam Watandar the Taliban are staging deadly attacks on daily basis, and the city is literally under siege. He said the residents are confined inside the city like in a prison. He added the rebels can storm the city anytime.
Head of the local civil society, Mohammad Usman Sherzay, said the local administration lacks the capacity and will to counter the Taliban, and the government should take immediate steps to address the situation. He also blamed the local security and intelligence forces for not coming to the rescue of the security forces.
The provincial governor, Abdul Hai Naimi, acknowledged the Taliban are closing in on the city, and have reached within two kilometers radius of the city. He, however, vowed soon a clean-up operation would be launched.
According to Baghlan residents and civil society activists, the security forces remain in defensive posture despite sustaining heavy casualties in recent attacks.
ENDS
