JALALABAD - A Wolesi Jirga delegation on Sunday asked the government to provide long-term support and equipment to the anti-Daesh militia in eastern Nangarhar province.
The delegation, led by lawmaker Haji Zahir Qadir, addressed a joint press conference with Ministry of Defense representatives and members of the provincial council in Jalalabad, the provincial capital.
The parliamentary delegation has arrived in Nangarhar to investigate recent activities of the militant group, which seized the strategic Tora Bora area in Pachirawgam district from Taliban before they were driven from the area by the Afghan security forces.
However, Haji Qadir rejected the claim that the Afghan security forces had recaptured Tora Bora from Daesh.
MoD spokesman Dawlat Waziri yesterday told a press conference in Kabul that the security forces had recaptured Tora Bora from Daesh militants as a result of an operation.
Qadir believed the uprising members who were local residents had the ability to vanquish the Islamic State group because they were more familiar with the geography.
He said the uprising group had previously been extended a short term support and as a result the militia faced numerous problems. He said the militiamen should be assisted for a long term.
The lawmaker said Daesh remained in control of Tora Bora but security forces had reached some key parts of the area.
MoD representative and member of the delegation, Maj. Gen. Shaoor Gul, said the security forces operation in Pachirawgam district was a success. He said some parts of Tora Bora had been recaptured and an operation was ongoing to capture the entire area. (Pajhwok)