Insecurity keeps Deh Yek residents off roads

GHAZNI CITY (PAN): Residents of the Deh Yak district in southern Ghazni province are concerned about insecurity on highways that connect the town to Ghazni city, the provincial capital.

Resident Ahmad Shah said he was last week caught in a crossfire between the Taliban and government forces on a road leading to the city.

“Security on roads is worsening day by day. A few days ago when I was coming from Ghazni City to the town, there was a clash in the Tasang area. I narrowly survived the incident,” he said.

Passengers sometimes remain stranded for hours as a result of clashes between Taliban fighters and Afghan soldiers.

Shah said mines were being planted on roads in villages, where dwellers could not travel to meet their relatives due to insecurity and mines.

“People in our area can’t go out of houses during clashes between security forces and insurgents,” a resident of Rozi Qala area, Juma Khan, said. “The security situation is even bad in Ghazni City. We are being stopped both by Taliban and government officials on the way to Ghazni city. For us, travelling means putting at risk life,” he said.

Khan said the district chief lived in Ghazni city and rarely visited the town in months.

The fewer number of police in the district headquarters could not patrol areas, another resident of Tasang village, Abdul Hadi, said.

However, the district chief, Fazal Ahmad Tolwak, downplaying the claims of residents, said he was satisfied with security measures taken to protect villages and commuters.

“Only some days ago, militants fired a few missiles, but they fled when police reached the site,” he added.

To a question about his stay in Ghazni city, the town’s administrative head said he travelled to the district centre “sometimes”.

Deh Yak, 25 kilomentres from Ghazni city, is one of the districts where the Taliban hold sway.

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