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Armed groups continue to haunt north

author avatar
18 Feb 2014 - 15:53
author avatar
18 Feb 2014 - 15:53

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): The presence of illegal armed individuals continues to pose a serious threat to the security situation in northern Afghanistan, a senior police official said on Tuesday.

Brig. Gen. Abdul Rahman Rahimi, the police chief of Balkh province, was talking to Pajhwok Afghan News after delivering a cache of arms to Disarmament of Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG) programme officials in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Rahimi stressed an effective deweaponisation drive in Balkh, saying illegal armed groups continued to make their presence felt. He added so far a large number of such groups had been disarmed and thousands of weapons surrendered to the DIAG programme.

Without naming anyone, he said some illegal armed groups continued to operate because the DAIG programme had not been effectively implemented.

The police chief said 32 various types of weapons were handed over to the DIAG programme at today’s ceremony. “These weapons include 11 AK-47s and 14 pistols.”

He said the weapons given to DIAG programme had been seized during separate incidents during the past two months. Thirty-seven individuals arrested in connection with the arms had been referred to the judicial organs, he said.

DIAG programme chief in the north, Gen. Abdul Manan, told Pajhwok illegal armed groups existed in each province. However, he said it remained clear as to where and how such groups were operating. “This is a reality which cannot be ignored. Everyone possessing unlicensed weapons is illegal armed man,” Manan said.

He said as long as illegal arms existed in the north, the security situation would remain threatened.

He said so far 570 weapons had been delivered to the DIAG programme in the north since the beginning of the outgoing solar year.

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