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| Afghanistan |
| Elements Within Govt Support Illegal Armed Groups |
| 2016-10-29 |
| Assadullah Omarkhail, the governor of Kunduz province on Friday alleged that certain elements within government including ministers and lawmakers are exploiting the illegal armed groups in the province to sue their personal interests. According to Kunduz governor, the number of illegal armed men operational in the province are estimated around 5,000 with majority of them involved in a number of horrific crimes such as drug trafficking, kidnapping and creating chaos in the society. He said elements with the ARG (presidential palace) and Qasr-e-Sapidar (CEO's palace) are supporting these individuals to follow their personal motives. "One side of government rejects them (illegal armed groups) while the other corners of the government supports them," Omarkhail said. He stated that the presence of illegal armed groups in the area has left major implications on the security and stability. "Even we were directed from the center and high level places to give their weapons back. Individuals have made the calls including lawmakers and ministers," he said. Meanwhile, a number of Kunduz lawmakers in the Wolesi Jirga (Lower of House Parliament) also confirmed the presence of illegal armed groups in the volatile province. "Kunduz suffered human tragedy twice in a year, but illegal armed groups were not behind it; it was the Taliban. Increase on the number of the Taliban and lack of large scale operation for clearing the area of the armed opponents have raised concerns and chaos among the people of Kuneduz," said Abdullah Qarloq, a lawmaker. |
| Posted by:badanov |