MEHTARLAM/ QALAT (SW) – A credible government source in Laghman has said the Dawlat Shah district has fallen to the Taliban.
The source, who did not want to be named, told Salam Watandar that the district had been under heavy Taliban siege for several months and no reinforcements had been sent to suppress the militants. According to the source, the Taliban have mined the road leading to Dawlat Shah district and security forces were unable to advance into the district. The source added that security forces left the district last night and the Taliban captured the district around 7 am on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Salam Watandar has obtained a copy of an agreement under which the Taliban have extended the three-day Eid ceasefire in Alingar district to one month with the mediation of tribal elders.
According to local Laghman officials, the parties to the conflict have extended the ceasefire so that farmers can harvest wheat and pass school examinations. The agreement states that during this period, both sides will not shoot at each other.
Meanwhile, reports from Zabul suggest that a police officer was killed and a policeman killed when the insurgents attacked a check point. Atajan Haqbayan, head of the Zabul provincial council, said the Taliban had attacked a number of checkpoints in Qalat, the provincial capital, last night. He warned Taliban might overrun the province and a major humanitarian catastrophe will occur in the province if preventive measures are not ensured in time.
But, Zabul security officials say they have ensured complete security in the province.
There were no immediate response from the Taliban on this matter.
ENDS
