MPs Critical of Govt’s Security Policy in Laghman

MPs from Baghlan on Wednesday said that the fragile security situation in Laghman has not improved despite military reinforcements being sent to the region to repel Taliban threats and restore normalcy to insecure areas.

Meanwhile, members of Parliament’s internal security commission said that the fighting has reached the suburbs of the provincial capital Mehtarlam.

Some MPs meanwhile said that some parts of Jalga district in Laghman have fallen to the Taliban. They said that it is also a strategic route to supply the government forces with weapons and other necessary equipment in Nahrain district.

This comes a week after the Taliban launched attacks on some parts of Laghman including Alishing, Alingar and Mehtarlam districts.

“The central prison is now the frontline of fighting in Laghman,” said Laghman MP Mohammad Rafi Mamozai.

“The security forces have cleared Mehtarlam City from the presence of Taliban, operations are underway in Alishing and Alingar, we are looking to clear the remaining areas too, the only reasons the clearance operations are delayed is the presence of the Taliban in people’s homes,” said Rahmatullah Yarmal, governor of Laghman.

“Our security forces are planning to evacuate those checkpoints that were permanently under siege and relocate them around the cities and main highways–well it is a right decision, but their place will be filled by the Taliban, this is the mistake that was carried out during the time of President Najibullah,” said military analyst Saleh Mohammad Registani.

“Any tactical retreat that is carried out against military principles should be assessed in line with the intelligence and operational principles,” said Farid Ahmadi, the former commander of Special Operations Forces.

The Afghan National Security and Defense Forces (ANDSF) are currently fighting the Taliban in 104 provinces, the Afghan security agencies said on Tuesday, noting a 7 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Reflecting on the numbers of Taliban attacks across the country, Ahmad Zia Saraj, the head of the Afghan intelligence agency—the National Directorate of Security (NDS)–said that the militant group has launched 3,500 attacks since the start of the year.

Hayatullah Hayat, the acting minister of interior, said that the current war in Afghanistan is part of a propaganda effort of regional players, and stated that the Afghan National Police (ANP) is determined to support the ANA in repelling Taliban attacks.

On Tuesday, Afghanistan’s Meshrano Jirga—the upper house of Parliament–summoned the heads of Afghanistan’s security agencies to inquire about the security situation in the country.

Senators expressed surprise over the situation in some provincial capitals.

“There is a problem in the policy-making, there are management issues and nepotism and political issues facing the country’s security and defense forces which are creating major problems for us,” said Mohammad Alam Ezedyar, the deputy head of the Meshrano Jirga.

Last month the Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations said that the two months of war had displaced over 8,000 families in northern Afghanistan.

Laghman, Kunduz, Baghlan, Helmand and Kandahar have all recently witnessed battles between the Afghan security forces and the Taliban.

Saraj meanwhile criticized Pakistan’s continued interference in Afghanistan’s affairs and called on the Afghan people to mobilize in order to face the country’s current challenges.

In recent weeks the Taliban has launched major offensives in at least five districts across various provinces and seized control.