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| Afghanistan |
| Lack of Intelligence, Coordination Led To Taliban Crisis In Helmand: Officials |
| 2015-12-25 |
| [Tolo News] Helmand ...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan... provincial council members on Thursday said that the lack of security balloons, after foreign troop's withdrawal in the province, has led to the increase in Taliban activity in the province. During the time of foreign troops presence, Sangin province alone is reported to have had at least 65 security balloons, said officials. But following foreign troops withdrawal late 2014, these balloons were removed, they added. Sources told TOLOnews however that security forces have neutralized a large part of the activities of the Taliban in Helmand and other parts of the country but Afghan intelligence agencies still need detection devices and other facilities to monitor the bad boy group's activities. Despite hundreds of foreign troops still being in the province, Helmand has witnessed large scale Taliban attacks in recent weeks. However, there's no worse danger than telling a mother her baby is ugly... the group was reportedly kept under control while balloons were in the air. But officials say the situation in Helmand at the moment is serious. They claim the Taliban has made gains on districts in the province. Before the attack on Sangin district, the Taliban is believed to have carried out an attack on Camp Bastion in Shorab district. "We have always complained about a lack of cooperation between Afghan securities forces in Helmand. In the past we had enough facilities beside balloons to fight Taliban in Helmand - facilities no longer in place," said Bashir Ahmad Shaker the head of Helmand's provincial council security committee. In the early years up to 855 large and small bases of foreign troops in Afghanistan were engaged in activities against faceless myrmidons and in other intelligence activities but with the handover of security responsibility to Afghans a large part of their facilities were transferred out of the country, officials said. "We have advanced in Sangin district and we have broken the Taliban siege. And Taliban operational head in Helmand Mullah Nasir along with 50 other Taliban were killed," MoI front man Sediq Sediqqi said on Thursday. Meanwhile the Ministry of Defense talked about the advancement of Afghan forces in Helmand especially in Sangin district and said there was good coordination among the security institutions. "At the moment we have our operations against the faceless myrmidons in seven provinces and we have lots of advancement in Helmand and we are trying to not harm civilians," said Dawlat Waziri MoD front man. Taliban have played an active roldein Helmand for a number of years - especially as it is a key opium producing hub. |
| Posted by:Fred |