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| Afghanistan |
| Helmand Asks For Probe As Province Struggles Against Insurgents |
| 2015-12-24 |
| Helmand provincial council head Karimullah Atal on Wednesday said that five districts of Helmand province are under Taliban control, four are the scene of heavy clashes and another four are on the brink of collapse. Helmand civil society activists and the provincial council held a joint press conference on Wednesday in Kabul and appealed to the National Unity Government (NUG) to send a fact-finding delegation to the province to investigate the situation. Both Helmand provincial council and civil society activists blamed government for neglecting the situation and said those responsible for the deteriorating security must be brought to justice. "Changes should be brought by the leadership of Helmand's security institutions and those who are to blame for not doing their jobs, especially the commanders, must be brought to justice," said Enayatullah Nasir the head of the youth coordination and empowerment network. Helmand provincial council members meanwhile claimed that Nawomish, Baghran, Musa Qala and Nawozad districts in the north of Helmand and Dishu in the south are under Taliban control. They report that for the past three months, heavy clashes between Taliban and security forces have been ongoing in four districts - Sangin, Marja, Washir and Khanshin. In addition, they said Kajaki, Grishk, Nad Ali and Lashkargah, the provincial capital, are under serious threat. "The pressure of war in those districts has reached close to Lashkargah city. Areas in zone four have already fallen to the Taliban - less areas remain under our control," said Helmand provincial council head Karimullah Atal. "Government should sort out an operational team that is headed by a person with experience and responsibility to go to Helmand province and investigate the situation closely," said Nargis Rukhshana, a Helmand provincial council member. Helmand provincial council members said that if no attention is paid to the security of Helmand province the neighboring provinces will also be affected. However, the NUG has said that additional forces have reached Helmand province and are planning operations. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Afghan soldiers say local residents in Helmand are being fired upon by Taliban fighters who are on the verge of taking control the district capital of Sangin. One Afghan soldier, Jamal Uddin, said: "The situation is very bad here. Local residents are at risk and cannot stay in their homes because the enemy is firing on them." Helmand, a major center of opium cultivation and a traditional Taliban heartland, has been the scene of fierce fighting for months as insurgents ramp up attacks. In other reports, AP stated that an army base in Sangin district was the only area that had not fallen to the Taliban. Helmand governor Merza Khan Rahimi was quoted as saying government troops had however been able to deliver supplies to troops holed up inside the base on Tuesday and stressed the government had a "special agenda" to solve the area's security problems. Meanwhile, a British Ministry of Defense statement late on Monday said "a small number of UK personnel" had been deployed to Helmand "in an advisory role". But former head of the British Army, Lord Dannatt, on Tuesday said that Helmand Province was "pretty secure" when British forces handed it over to Afghan security forces in late 2014. "We've been progressively building up the Afghan army in Helmand province in particular. And it was pretty capable by the time we left. Now, once you've left, you've gone. And what the Afghan national army's chain of command, what its political leaders chose to do, I'm afraid it's been their business." He was quoted as saying: "They chose not to prioritize Helmand, they chose to prioritize six other areas around the country for their main effort against the Taliban. And if you've chosen not to prioritize somewhere, and the enemy has chosen to prioritize, you're going to get an adverse set of circumstances, and that's what happened." He went on to say: "If there have been failings, it's their [Afghanistan's] failings." Lord Dannat said a growing drug trade is the likely reason behind the Taliban's activity in Helmand, but he added there was "no question" of the Taliban sweeping into Kabul and running the country again. Video report at the link |
| Posted by:badanov |