1 dead, 4 injured as rival protesters clash in Faryab

MAIMANA (Pajhwok): One person was killed and four others were wounded after rival protestors met in a square and clashed in northwestern Faryab province on Thursday, hospital sources said.

Supporters of First-Vice President Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum and Balkh Governor Atta Mohammad Noor took to the streets in Maimana, Faryab’s capital, and held rallies which turned violent eventually.

A doctor at the civil hospital’s emergency wad told Pajhwok Afghan News the body of an elderly man and four injured persons had been delivered at the hospital.

Faryab provincial council members and Noor’s supporters could not be reached for comments despite efforts.

Security forces promptly moved to the area where firing took place. Ghaibullah, a service member of the Afghan National Army (ANA), said the two groups arrived from different directions and confronted each others in Sanaye Square. He said the supporters of Noor fired four RPG and bullets.

Mohammad Farid, a shopkeeper, held similar views. He said the supporters of Noor were equipped with arms.

Protests over the removal of Dostum’s portrait in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province, entered a third day on Thursday.

A day earlier, up to 3,000 residents from different districts of Sar-i-Pul province rallied and demanded punishment for individuals who brought down the portraits of the first vice president.

The same day, a similar protest was carried out in Aibak, the capital of Smangan province, where thousands Dostum’s loyalists demanded punishment for the individuals who insulted the VP by bringing down his portraits.

Abdul Rahim, head of Dostum led Junbish-i-Islami party for Pashtunkot district, said he took part in the rally and alleged Noor’s supporters resorted to firing and violence during the peaceful demonstration.

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