200 militant groups operating in Nuristan: Governor

JALALABAD (PAN): Governor Tamim Nuristani, demanding increase in the number of police and army personnel,  has claimed about 200 various militant groups were operating in eastern Nuristan province.

He told a gathering in Paroon, the provincial capital, the 196 Afghan National Army personnel deployed to Nuristan were not enough to maintain security across the province.

His spokesman, Zahir Bahand, said the gathering titled “maintaining security, extending government’s writ and uniformed development” was attended by a high-level visiting delegation from Kabul.

The delegation included Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, the security transition commission head, Abdul Khaliq Farahi, the Independent Directorate of Local Governance chief, and several deputy ministers, according to Bahand.

A local official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Pajhwok Afghan News  that Nuristani used harsh words during his speech at the gathering, severely criticising the central government.

He said the governor argued the fourth military brigade of Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers should have been deployed to Nuristan instead of Kunar province.

Nuristani was of the view the seventh unit of border police was supposed to be deployed to Nuristan, but it had also been sent to Kunar, the official privy to the discussions said.

Nuristani told the gathering that militants sneaked into Nuristan through the Fatih Gul Valley. “In districts, we have a fewer number of security forces which are  hugely outnumbered by the ISI agents,” the governor was quoted as saying by his spokesman.

He asked the central government to increase the number of Afghan Local Police (ALP) to 2,000 as their current strength was inadequate.

He warned other districts could fall into the hands of Taliban like the Waigal town if the central government failed to come up with remedial measures.

 “We want to recapture Waigal district, which has been in control of the Taliban over the past two years.”

Deputy Nuristan council chief, Amanullah Enayat Rahman, said they had discussed with the visiting delegation every problem existing in the province.

mds/ma

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