7 die as Taliban continue Logar road blockades

PUL-I-ALAM (PAN over the past five months in the Azra district of central Logar province, an official and residents said on Wednesday.

“Most people in the district have been deprived of basic needs like food and access to facilities like health clinics because the insurgents have kept blocked all roads over the past five months,” the district chief said.

Hamidullah Hamid told Pajhwok Afghan News the Taliban had restricted people’s activities and movements from one area to another. Subsequently, he complained, residents were faced with numerous problems.

“All roads in Azra have been blocked and people are facing serious problems,” confirmed a provincial council member, Haji Dur Gul. He also verified the deaths of two women and five children, saying they died of hunger after trapped for 10 days.

Another provincial council members and resident of the area, Abdul Khaliq Khairkhwa, confirming the deaths, said they had time and again shared the issue of road blockades with provincial officials, but they had not been able to solve the problem.

Jannat Gul, a resident of the district, said Taliban stopped him and snatched his flour bags which he was taking home last week.

Gul had no idea why the Taliban had blocked all roads and were not allowing people to perform their routine life activities.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, that Azra residents had promised they would reject the deployment of Afghan Local Police personnel in their respective areas a few months back, but breached their promise.

As a result, Mujahid added the fighters blocked roads leading two only two areas — Chotri and Akbarkhel.

Azra district is located 100 kilometers south of Pul-i-Alam near the Durand Line. It borders Paktia and Nangarhar provinces.

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