HERAT CITY (SW) – A number of mortars have been fired by the Taliban insurgents on the Afghanistan – India Friendship Dam in Herat province, said an official.
Allah Mohammad Hamdard, commander of the dam protection battalion, told Salam Watandar that around 5pm Tuesday, the Taliban fighters fired several mortar shells at the dam. According to him, the mortars hit close to the dam.
The commander of the dam protection battalion expressed concerns about the growing threats to the project, saying that to prevent these threats, a large-scale military operation should be launched to clear the area of the Taliban. Allah Mohammad Hamdard added that the Taliban are now present in large numbers around the dam.
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However, a reliable local source in Herat’s Chesht district told Salam Watandar that some security checkpoints around the dam have already been captured by the Taliban in the past few days.
The National Water Authority issued a statement on Wednesday expressing concerns that the Taliban had fired several mortar shells at the dam. It warned in case of any damage to the dam, a large number of people will suffer not only financial losses, but also very heavy losses of life.
“Our request to the Taliban is that national capital is the common property of all and should not be harmed,” the agency said. “This national asset must be protected and any attack on the dam must be stopped.”
Such concerns about damage to the dam have risen following the fall of the Chesht district of Herat to the Taliban, but the Taliban claim they are not harming major national projects.
ENDS
