Sherzai orders crackdown on illegal armed groups

JALALABAD (PAN):  Nangarhar governor Gul Agha Sherzai on Thursday said he has ordered a crackdown on illegal armed groups and individuals in the eastern province.

In an exclusive interview, Sherzai said he would not tolerate any threat to people and traders from an armed group or individual in his province.

The governor said he had ordered police headquarters, Afghan National Army (ANA), National Directorate of Intelligence (NDS) and border police to bust gangs carrying illegal arms and arrest anyone found guilty. He assured protection to the lives and property of traders, craftsmen and businessmen.

“I have ordered Afghan forces to detain people carrying arms and confiscate vehicles having tinted glasses and documents registered in other’s name,” Sherzai added.

On Monday, the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) deputy head Khan Jan Alokozay complained traders were facing multiple problems due to kidnappings and the presence of illegal armed groups in the province.

The ACCI head for eastern provinces, Eng. Qasim Yusufi, said the governor had always supported traders but they could not trust his promises until they were implemented.

“The security forces and the governor’s house have failed to get rid of the illegal armed groups and influential commanders,” Yusufi said, adding they had set Monday as a deadline for the governor to take action against the gun-toting individuals.

Deputy police chief Col. Masoom Hashmi said they would circulate the governor’s order through the state-run Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) in next two days before launching a crackdown on the illegal armed groups.

The governor’s spokesman, Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, said the governor’s house had contacted President Hamid Karzai and the interior and defence ministers on the issue. The National Security Council (NSC) had been asked to take a decisive stand in this regard, he said.

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