Insurgency displaces 70 Paktika families

SHARANA (PAN activities and their possible clashes with security forces, officials said on Wednesday.

Uprooted from Gayan district around a month back, the families have moved to the Argun district’s Manda area.

One of the displaced persons, Noor Mohammad, told Pajhwok Afghan News the families led a miserable life in the Argon district due to lack of basic facilities.

“Five to 10 families are huddled into one home amid acute food shortages,” he complained. Some of the families said they lived with relatives and friends.

Others claimed shifting to homes abandoned by their owners because the structures were extremely old and lacked basic facilities.

Noor Mohammad urged the government to urgently provide the displaced families with essential items and pave the ground for their return to native towns.

He said residents opted to vacating homes after the Taliban said they would not be responsible if something unfortunate happened to residents as a result of their attacks on security forces.

He said the Taliban expelled them in order to use their homes as bastions for attacks on security forces.

Another displaced man, Karim Zadran, said there had been a history of Taliban attacks on government forces and installations in the Gayan district. He said residents were forced into leaving their homes.

Gayan district chief, Mobin Kamawal, confirmed dozens of families had left homes in the district due to Taliban threats. He said the displaced families were in dire need of relief supplies and they were trying to do something in this regard.

The provincial Natural Disasters Management Authority head said they were aware of the displacement, but yet to be officially informed. He said his department would provide assistance to the families, keeping in view available resources.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the families had been living near security posts and the district headquarters. He said the families had been asked to move elsewhere in order not to be harmed during possible clashes between the fighters and security forces.

Mujahid rejected the assertions the families had been forcibly expelled from their homes, saying they had reached an understanding with them on the migration.

ma/mud

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