PUL-I-KHUMRI - The residents of Dehna Ghori district of northern Bahglan province on Saturday staged a protest rally against the ongoing occupation of the area by Taliban and demanded security forces retake the troubled town.
Numbering about 300, the protesters who had gathered in front of the governor’s house accused local authorities of doing nothing about the presence of insurgents and falling of areas to them in the province.
Mohammad Hashim, a tribal elder among the protestors, said Dehna Ghori fell to Taliban one month ago, displacing as many as 6,000 families to other areas of the city.
He said local authorities were reluctant to launch operation to wrest back Dehna Ghori. He said prompt actions were taken whenever a district in other provinces was captured by militants.
Haji Noor Mohammad, another tribal elder, accused the provincial authorities of being incapable to protect the territorial integrity of the province.
He said no action had been taken to get back the strategic district from the Taliban and no assistance had so far been extended to the displaced families.
He warned of more protests if the situation persisted, saying residents and the displaced families would part of future protests.
Governor Abdul Satar Barz, however, said a massive military action had been planned and would be launched to retake captured areas from rebels.
He said a commission had been tasked with surveying the displaced families and some charity organizations had promised help towards them.
According to the governor, a number of security forces had been arrested over negligence that led to the fall of Dehna Ghori.
Danha Ghori, 25 kilometer from Pul-i-Kumri, the provincial capital, has a population of more than 30,000 people. (Pajhwok)