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| Afghanistan |
| MPs Summon Security Officials As Taliban Eye Strategic Towns |
| 2016-01-10 |
| [Tolo News] The Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament) on Saturday summoned key security officials to answer questions over the growing spate of Taliban threats targeting the nation's strategic provinces and towns. Those summoned before parliament were the Minister of Interior Noorulhaq Olomi, acting minister of defense Masoom Stanekzai and acting chief of National Directorate of Security ...the Afghan national intel agency... (NDS) Masoud Andarabi. In their remarks before the politicians, the security officials said that the Taliban has been trying to shift their war to some strategic provinces - including Nangarhar The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country.. , Helmand ...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan... , Kunduz and Kabul ...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the Worldand didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either.... Emotions however ran high in parliament as politicians demanded answers from the high-ranking officials -- who told MPs that the Afghan cops are committed to continuing their military campaigns and special operations against the Taliban. Concerns have grown in recent weeks after reports surfaced of a possible shift in the geography of the war, with threats growing against villages and highways and reports that Afghan forces on the frontline are still on the defensive opposed to the offensive. "Taliban are likely willing to continue their bloodshed and war, the security forces must learn from their experiences during the past four months and move the plan for the next four months on the basis of the experience in the past," Andarabi said. Responding to a question about some countries using the Taliban against Daesh [Islamic State], the NDS chief said that the Taliban has been requested to defeat Daesh [Islamic State]. "Taliban has been contacted to use all resources to suppress Daesh [Islamic State] in their quest to reach their objectives," he said. But he said security forces have defeated Daesh [Islamic State] in Zabul, Farah and Helmand, adding that government is itself committed to rooting out the group in the country. "Since its formation, the National Unity Government has been determined to combat Daesh [Islamic State] effectively, government is committed to eliminate Daesh [Islamic State] in Nangarhar province as well," he added. "We have prepared a strategy to eliminate the Taliban, al-Qaeda, Daesh [Islamic State] and other terror groups from central Asia who intend to take a foothold in Afghanistan. The security forces have formulated inclusive programs to deal with the issue," Olomi said. "Anyone who takes up arms against the system has the status of an enemy to us and will be suppressed, because their action is against the constitution and the system. Such elements would be the target of the security forces of the country," acting defense minister Stanekzai told the politicians on Saturday. "The strategy is not acceptable to the people, the security institutions must form more inclusive strategies and share it with the parliamentary commissions on security," the speaker of the Wolesi Jirga Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi said. |
| Posted by:Fred |