Afghans flee homes as Taliban prepare for battle
Published: Tuesday, June 17, 2008
14:09GMT—10:09AM/EST
AFGHANISTAN – TALIBAN – UNREST
Washington, 17 June (IranVNC)—Hundreds of people today fled their homes in a district of southern Afghanistan where the Taliban have taken control of several villages.
At least 600 militants took over several villages in the Arghandab district, where, according to residents, they have destroyed bridges and planted mines in an apparent preparation for battle.
“Last night the people were afraid, and families on tractors, trucks and taxis fled the area,” AP quoted a police officer at a checkpoint on the east side of the Arghandab River as saying. The officer estimated that more than 700 families had fled villages in the district.
The number of villages reported to be under Taliban control varies from 1 to up to 18, according to differing reports.
Arghandab is about 10 miles [about 15 kilometers] northwest of the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar, where three days ago over 350 militants escaped from jail in a bombing that freed over 1,000 inmates.
NATO and Afghan forces, who have been on alert since the escape of the Taliban from jail, say they are deploying troops to the district, which has a population of about 150,000.
The Afghan military has deployed about 700 soldiers to the area, and NATO troops have dropped leaflets by air telling residents that troops were coming to force the militants out and that they should stay inside if fighting erupts.
“ANSF [Afghan National Security Forces] supported by ISAF [the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force] are coming to remove the enemies of Afghanistan. Keep your family safe when there is fighting near your home. STAY INSIDE while ANSF defeats the enemies of Afghanistan,” the Atlanta-based CNN quoted the leaflets as saying.
A spokesperson for the Taliban said today the group planned to go after Kandahar next.
“After occupying Arghandab, the Taliban’s next target will be Kandahar. But, we will not attack Kandahar with rockets and heavy mortars. We will hit specific targets in the city,” Reuters quoted Taliban spokesperson Qari Mohammad Yousuf as telling the Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press.
The unrest in Arghandab comes days after Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai lashed out at Taliban militants operating in Pakistan, saying he had the right to send troops across the border to fight militants.
Pakistan responded yesterday by issuing a “strong protest” to Afghanistan’s ambassador in Islamabad.
Sources: Reuters, Associated Press, CNN
© IranVNC 2008. All rights reserved.