10 Maiwand villages rise up against Taliban

KANDAHAR CITY (Pajhwok): Residents of 10 villages in the Maiwand district of southern Kandahar province have revolted against the Taliban after being fed up with their atrocities.

Residents of these villages said they endured Taliban’s atrocities for eight years and could no longer tolerate them and had decided to protect their areas themselves.

Kala Mir is the area, where Taliban militants have been operating over the past many years, emplacing roadside bombs and staging attacks on security forces.

Members of the uprisings said Taliban’s violent activities created numerous problems for them and endangered their lives and finally compelled them to pick up guns.

A resident of the area, Haji Noor Ahmad, told Pajhwok Afghan News Taliban’s atrocities forced them to shun normal life and wage an armed resistance against them.

He said the rebels had been planting bombs on common routes and as a result, civilians suffered casualties almost on a daily basis.

“It is why people could not do their work and businesses. We are deprived of every facility of life and our children have long been not going to school,” he said of the reasons behind their uprising.

He said residents of 10 villages in the Kala Mir area had decided to support the government and not to allow insurgents to plant landmines and keep them deprived of facilities.

Another resident, Faiz Mohammad, also said they were fed up with Taliban’s atrocities. He said insurgents often entered civilian homes to target security forces from there and in return, security forces intimidated locals. He said residents long endured the situation and finally ran out of patience.

Mohammad urged the government to provide villagers spearheading the uprisings with weapons and bullets and establish schools and health clinics for them.

Yet another villager, Mohammad Jan, said insurgents had expelled many residents from their homes after accusing them of cooperation with the government. The rebels would severally beat such people or kill them, he recalled.

He said residents had no option but to pick up guns and protect their areas from insurgents.

He said the people had taken the decision in government support and now the government should assist them.

Maiwand police chief said the residents had themselves decided to stand by the government and had promised not to allow insurgents to enter their areas.

He said the current strength of the uprising members stood at 150, including youths and elderly men.

He said after residents informed security forces about their decision, the forces conducted a three-day operation and cleared the area of armed militants.

The police official promised the uprising members would be supplied weapons and they would also be given training.

Maiwand is now the second district after Panjwai of Kandahar, where residents have waged uprising against insurgents.

Militants operate in some parts of Maiwand 70 km from Kandahar City along the Kandahar-Herat highway.

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