Atta Noor threatens to ‘take action’ against security situation

Former Balkh governor Atta Mohammad Noor, said on Thursday he was concerned about the security situation in the country and called on President Ashraf Ghani to rethink his security policy.

He also warned that unless government starts paying attention to insecure parts of the country “they will take action”.

In a comment aimed at Ghani, Noor said: “Do not say that you don’t have patience, because it is difficult to see our people, in front of our eyes, being taken [out], innocent, and slaughtered.”

Speaking at a gathering in Balkh, Noor also indirectly criticized First Vice President Amrullah Saleh over his 6:30am security session and said that “oppressing poor people on the road is not the way to ensure security.”

He also said he would be proud to die in his country rather than live abroad.

He stated however that all Afghans need to support the peace process and that there needs to be national unity and national consensus to bring peace to the country and end the war.

He also said spoilers to the peace process who only want to create problems need to be stopped and that if “terror continues we need to use our second option which is resistance.”

Noor stated that Ghani might not be fully aware that some “circles” within the country are trying to sabotage the peace process.

“If the government does not pay attention to areas lacking security, then we must take action and we don’t care if they call us militia,” he said adding that unless security is enforced, “the outcome will not be good.”

Noor said:” If you can not improve the security situation, then let us do something.”

Noor had been speaking at an event organized to honor the late Rahnaward Zaryab for his literature and language works and stated that Zaryab’s unpublished works would go to print and that he wiould build him a befitting tomb.

Noor’s comments come after a string of targeted attacks against public figures including journalists, civil society members and activists in the past few months.

This last week has seen a marked increase in assassinations, including the attack on Free and Fair Election Foundation (FEFA) CEO Yousuf Rashid on Wednesday, the Pul-e Charkhi doctors on Tuesday and the attack on MP Khan Mohammed Wardak.

Wardak survived the attack but Rashid and the doctors were killed.