Football tournament begins in Lashkargah

LASHKARGAH (PAN): Eight football teams are competing in Lashkargah for top honors in Helmand province.

Hundreds of youth and government officials attended the first game of the series on Friday at Karzai Field in the centre of Lashkargah. The competition will continue for two weeks, and the winning team will go on to compete at the regional level, according to Ismatullah Muslim, the head of the sports department for Helmand province.

The games are being held in part to demonstrate that Afghan forces are prepared to take responsibility for security in the province, said Muslim.

He added that increased interest in football and other sports are turning youth away from drugs and crime.

During the competition, a resident of Lashkargah, Muhammad Akbar, told Pajhwok Afghan News that many youth in the area have taken up sports and that hundreds of Lashkargah residents are attending sporting events.

He requested that the government further support the advancement of sports in the province.

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