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| Afghanistan |
| Taliban controls 80 percent of Kunduz |
| 2016-08-20 |
| A number of Kunduz provincial council members and residents on Friday said they are concerned about government's inattention to security in the province and that they fear a comeback by the Taliban if the situation prevails. They said that one year after retaking the control of Kunduz city, government has failed to maintain law-and-order in the area and ensure the residents' safety. "I mentioned this in the past that 70 percent of Kunduz is under the control of militants, but now the percentage has increased after another district fallen to insurgents – including most parts of Dasth-e-Archi district. We are concerned about the situation and so are the residents," said Mohammad Yusuf Ayubi, head of Kunduz Provincial Council. "Government has only control over four roads. Now Qala-e-Zal district has collapsed, and in addition to that, parts of Imam Sahib and Dasht-e-Archi [districts] have fallen to militants. Nearly 80 to 90 percent of the district is out of government's control, and this is concerning for us," said Zargul Alemi, deputy head of the council. Meanwhile, a number of Kunduz residents said they cannot travel to the outskirts of the Kunduz city due to the presence of the Taliban. "We cannot go to our relatives' houses that are 10 kilometers far from the city. We always live in fear. The situation will worsen if government does not pay attention to the issue," said Akmal, a resident of Kunduz city. "Taliban has complete control over 80 percent of Kunduz. This is serious. This can create another tragedy like the last year. We are not interested to witness the fall of Kunduz city once again," said Shahbaz Saberi, a civil society activist in Kunduz. Kunduz security officials meanwhile said they will launch a large-scale military operation in Kunduz in the near future. "Our military operations are advancing slowly because we to protect the civilians," said Sher Aziz Kamawal, a police commander in Kunduz. The Pamir 20 Division commander Gen. Ekramuddin Samay meanwhile said that nearly 52 Taliban fighters were killed in recent conflicts in the province. "Check posts are not under the control of the Taliban. Parts of the province are insecure. The enemy is hidden among people's houses and gardens, therefore we are advancing slowly in order to protect civilians' lives," he said. |
| Posted by:badanov |