Dr Abdullah promises to investigate alleged
Iranian interference; locals take up arms against IS in Nangarhar
Afghanistan Diary
PESHAWAR: Both President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Abdullah are focusing attention on Helmand province where the security situation is fragile due to almost non-stop Taliban attacks.
The President spoke to military and civil officials in Helmand through videoconferencing from Kabul on January 31 to discuss the security situation following a major Taliban attack on the headquarters of Sangin district.
The CEO went a step further the next day to assess the situation on the ground and flew to Helmand’s capital, Lashkargah, along with a delegation that included Defence Minister General Abdullah Habibi, the deputy interior minister, and officials from the National Directorate of Security (NDS) and police. The visit made the CEO look more concerned than the President about the security situation in Helmand even though he had fared poorly in this Pashtun-populated province in the 2014 presidential election compared to Ashraf Ghani.
A press release said the visit was aimed at assessing the situation and taking necessary decisions to strengthen security in Helmand. Both the President and the CEO spoke to or met Helmand Governor Hayatullah and other top civil and military officials and assured them of all out support in defending the province against the Taliban.
Earlier, Taliban claimed that their fighters overran a number of security posts around Sangin town and killed many government soldiers. The government claimed the Taliban attack was repulsed. At least two rockets fired by the Taliban landed in Lashkargah city when Dr Abdullah was present there. Taliban already control six districts in Helmand, though their earlier attempts to capture Sangin and provincial capital Lashkargah were foiled by the Afghan security forces. The remaining eight districts in Helmand are contested as Taliban fighters are present outside all the district headquarters.
Meanwhile, during his visit to Helmand CEO Dr Abdullah was informed about Iranian interference in the province and questions about this issue were posed to him by local journalists. He said this would be investigated and in case evidence is made available then the issue would be taken up with the government of Iran.
This is a sensitive issue and the central government in Kabul has generally refrained from publicly commenting on it. However, local Afghan officials in western Afghanistan have openly accused Iran of arming, training and equipping the Taliban fighters. The US officials too have been occasionally highlighting the issue, but haven’t taken it to its logical conclusion.
Iran has denied all such accusations. Taliban too deny it, though it is widely known now that Iran and Taliban have developed close contacts. The three trips that late Taliban leader Mulla Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor made to Iran, particularly the last one during which he was followed and killed by a US drone strike when he entered Pakistan’s Balochistan province, clearly showed that Taliban and the Iranian authorities were in regular contact. Both have a common enemy, ie the US, and it won’t be far-fetched if they cooperate with each other against the US.
Meanwhile, once again official reports have emerged that local people in parts of eastern Nangarhar province had taken up arms against the Islamic State, or Daesh. The Afghan officials said residents of Rodat district led by tribal elder Hayat Khan had organized resistance against the Islamic State and the government had decided to support and equip them.
About 50 volunteers had been deployed at four under-construction security posts to stop the entry of Daesh fighters into Rodat. Hayat Khan said they opted to support the government and fight the Islamic State as it had been very cruel to them and they were now ready to protect their lives, properties and honour. Earlier, such uprising groups had been formed in Haska Maina, Achin, Spinghar, Kot and Batikot districts to tackle the Daesh in Nangarhar province, though some were later disbanded.
