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| Afghanistan |
| Taliban tightens grip on Helmand |
| 2016-09-02 |
| After weeks of continued battles, hundreds of Lashkargah city residents are deeply concerned about the Taliban's deepening grip on Helmand's provincial capital. Angered by what they call a never-ending war, hundreds of residents in Lashkargah on Thursday came together to urge government to step up its efforts to improve law and order in their region. TOLOnews correspondent Sharif Amiri who is with Afghan security forces on the frontline in Nawa district of Helmand has reported that the militants are slipping into the capital – especially at night. "Security has deteriorated over the past month, we gradually lost several districts and the security of Lashkargah is also getting worse. We want security," said Sardar Mohammad Hamdard, a civil society activist. "There is no security if you travel 300 meters away from here, the Taliban attack during the night," said Mohammad Tamim, an Afghan soldier in Helmand. "We are now fed up with the war, we want security, security is key for people to live in peace," said a resident of Nawa, Gul Mohammad. While there appears to be no end in sight to the Taliban's insurgency in the war-weary region, the business community and residents still have not lost hope for a better tomorrow and restaurants and hotels in Lashkargah continue to do business well in to the night. Helmand was once a key Taliban stronghold has been embroiled in an increasing battle this year - despite numerous promises by the Afghan security institutions to eliminate the militants in the war-hit province. Video report at the link |
| Posted by:badanov |