Chamtal residents say maltreated during operation

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): The residents of Chamtal district in northern Balkh province on Monday said they were happy over an ongoing operation against militants in the troubled town, but in the same breath complained they were maltreated by local police and uprising forces.

The residents claimed they were mistreated and their household items looted by uprising forces who were part of the operation, a claim rejected by local officials.

Sulaiman, a resident of Bagah locality, said local police and uprising forces sometimes deliberately fired at civilian homes. He said there was no need to use uprising forces in the operation because they snatched batteries, solar panels and clothes from people’s homes.

Mohammad Basir, a resident of Imam Sahib Village, complained against local police’s behavior. “Many people, including children, have been missing. My own children are missing, there is compete anarchy, we don’t know what is going on and what we should do.”

The governor’s spokesman, Munir Farhad, however said they had received no complaint from the people of Chamtal.

He said if someone had been harassed civilians or their household items taken away, such individuals would be dealt in accordance with the military law.

Earlier in the day, local officials said Chamtal district has been cleared of militants during an Afghan forces operation.

Governor Atta Mohammad Noor, who also took part in the offensive, said the district destabilized due to negligence of some Afghan Local Police (ALP) commanders.

He accused a number of ALP commanders of not taking action against militants. However, he did not name any commander.

Noor said Chamtal district had been completely cleaned up from militants and said a military base and a number of security posts would be established to ensure security in the district.

A number of suspects arrested in the operation told the media that they were shepherds and had no connection with rebels.

nh/ma