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Afghanistan
Landmines Slow Down Military Operation in Baghlan
2016-02-08
The Defense Ministry said Sunday that insurgents have planted landmines in areas which lead to the embattled Dand-e-Ghori area of Baghlan province, an issue which is slowing down the military operation against the Taliban insurgents.

Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the Ministry of Defense (MoD) confirmed that the military campaign by Afghan forces has been slowed down due to landmines planted by the Taliban, adding that the security forces have also halted their air strikes and artillery shellings in a bid to ensure the security and safety of the civilian population.

When asked about the number of militants fighting Afghan troops in Baghlan, Waziri said that insurgents have joined local militants from Takhar, Maidan Wardak, and Badakhshan provinces in their fight against the security forces in Baghlan.

"We prefer to lessen our air and artillery assaults so that civilians are not hurt. The second issue is that Taliban has planted landmines in the area," he said.

Baghlan, strategically is an important province in the northern region and is the main gateway to northern and northeastern provinces. The security forces launched their military campaign against the Taliban in the area two weeks ago.

"At the moment, the war is going on in two areas including Dand-e-Ghori and Baghlan-e-Markazi. However the enemy struggled to disperse our forces, and failed to reach their objectives," head of Baghlan security department Ewaz Mohammad Naziri said.

As the operation against the militants continues, a number of residents have criticized the security institutions for failing to eliminate the Taliban. Criticism has also been lodged over the nonparticipation of the US forces in the Baghlan operation. Dand-e-Ghori and Dand-e-Shahabuddin areas of Baghlan are two strategic locations in the province.

There are serious concerns that the Taliban will strengthen in summer if the government does not take serious action against the Taliban now and a capable Taliban means serious threats for the highway connecting Kabul to northern regions, say analysts.
Posted by:Steve White

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