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Helmand's Greshk On Brink of Collapse, Calls for Reinforcement Troops Increase
[Tolo News] Helmand...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan... officials on Sunday called for reinforcement troops and additional weapons to be sent in to the embattled province which has been the scene of fierce fighting between security forces and holy warriors in recent days. According to them, Greshk district is on the verge of falling to the Taliban. Armed confrontations that started four days ago and are still ongoing has inflicted major casualties on both sides, said officials. Helmand officials said 21 security personnel and 40 Taliban fighters have so far been killed in four days of fighting. The battle started last week when hundreds of Talibs launched coordinated attacks on various regions in the Greshk district aimed at seizing control of the key district. However, facts are stubborn; statistics are more pliable... security sources in the area have said that the Taliban has already captured some villages in the district. Greshk district governor has warned that the district is at risk of falling to the Taliban unless reinforcements are sent in. "Our units do not have sufficient weapons like AK47s and other weapons, if weapons are provided to them, security will be maintained," Greshk district governor Mohammad Sharif said. "The enemy extended threats on us following the fall of Nawzad, Musa Qala and Sangeen districts, then we conducted a tactical retreat to secure Greshk," Greshk police chief Mohammad Ismail said. Meanwhile, ...back at the buffalo wallow, Yellow Wolf clutched at his chest and fell from his horse... a tribal elder in Greshk has said that the Taliban has advanced to within 10 kilometers inside Greshk. "We notified provincial authorities verbally and officially to support us to defeat the enemy, but the government did not take it seriously," tribal elder Abdul Khaliq said. In response to the outcry of the local officials in Helmand, the government says that it has formulated necessary measures to rescue areas of Helmand which are under threat. "Besides receiving reports from the provincial authorities and security sources, the president is in touch with officials in Helmand," deputy presidential front man Sayed Zafar Hashemi said. This comes a day after deputy governor of Helmand Mohammad Jan Rasoulyar said in a letter to President Ashraf Ghani ...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. .. that leaders of the national unity government must take action swiftly regarding the volatile situation. Helmand has witnessed massive unrest this year following a surge in coordinated attacks against security forces by the Taliban in the province. Posted by: Fred 2015-12-21 |
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