KABUL (SW) – The families of a number of former soldiers from the republic era who got assassinated under suspicious circumstances are demanding that justice shall be delivered to them.
The mother of one of the security forces of the previous regime, who did not want to reveal her identity, told Salam Watandar that her son, who was a member of the security forces of the republican period, was killed by unknown armed men in Kandahar. According to this lady, the cause and perpetrators of her son’s death have not yet been determined. However, this lady said that the forces of the Islamic Emirate have repeatedly asked her to hand over her son’s weapon and motorcycle.
She added that due to pressure from the forces of the Islamic Emirate, she had to buy a rifle from the market and deliver it to them. “My son was 25 years old and worked in the previous government. We did not have any personal problems. My son was still young when he was killed. I ask the Islamic Emirate to identify his killer. So far, there has been no news from the government. My voice must be heard by the authorities.”
Similarly, a member of the family of another soldier of the previous regime who was recently killed by unknown armed men in Kunar, said: “A member of our family who was on duty at the police headquarters in the previous regime, was killed one night. He was killed by unknown gunmen and his body was found in the morning. I ask the current government to investigate such events.”
Such assassinations of the soldiers of the previous government has left an array of former soldiers in fear for life.
One of the army soldiers of the former regime, who did not want to be identified due to security threats, said that now, he spends his days and nights in a bad mental condition, accompanied by fear. According to him, economic problems and worries about not having the immunity of his life have robbed him and his family of a good night’s sleep.
“I don’t sleep at night thinking about what I was and what I became. My children’s mood is also ruined. I am stuck at a crossroads; I can’t go anywhere and I can’t live in my homeland, I wonder what to do. I’m not the only one, maybe hundreds of others feel my pain.”
However, the Ministry of Interior officials, by implicitly confirming the assassination of the previous government’s soldiers to Salam Watandar, stated that the reason for it are personal enmities.
Basmullah Habib, the deputy spokesman of the Ministry of Interior Affairs, said that the perpetrators of the assassination of the military officers of the previous government will be dealt with in a legal manner. “Such murders may be carried out as a result of individual conflicts. Considering the general amnesty, the cases of such murders will be seriously investigated by the police and legal action will be taken against the perpetrators.”
In addition to this, military experts consider the reports of the continuation of assassinations of former forces to be alarming and emphasize that this situation will continue as long as the political confusion in Afghanistan continues. They addws that the assassination of the soldiers of the previous government can pave the way for the recruitment of those forces who do not have the security of their lives to terrorist groups.
Sarwar Niazi, an expert on security issues, said: “With this situation, there is a risk that they will go and join ISIS or groups opposing the Islamic Emirate. In this case, it will become a problem for the Islamic Emirate.”
Samar Sadat, a former soldier, said: “The oppression of former soldiers, who are dragged from their homes and brutally murdered, is still continuing.”
ENDS
