Police helpless before illegal gunmen: Baghlanis

PUL-I-KHUMRI (Pajhwok): Residents on Sunday expressed concern over the presence and highhandedness of illegal armed individuals in northern Baghlan province.

They said the armed men posed a serious threat to security of the province and police were unable to put hand on the groups

Mohammad Nasim, a tribal elder in Pul-i-Khumri, the provincial capital, told Pajhwok Afghan News that two days ago a number of protestors equipped with small and heavy weapons entered the city and blocked the Kabul-Mazar-i-Sharif and Kabul-Kunduz highways.

He said the armed men prevented shopkeepers from opening their shops, harassed people and took control of the entire city for several hours, but police were watching and did anything against them.

“People have completely lost trust in police because they cannot do anything,” he said.

Mohammad Salam, a shopkeeper in Pul-i-Khumri city, said the gunmen who entered the city and harassed people were linked to a Wolesi Jirga member and a provincial council member.

He said police and other security forces could not improve security in the province.

However, Baghlan police spokesman Ahmad Javid Basharat said that police had prevented an armed clash among the protestors who were very angry.

Calling the presence of irresponsible armed men a big threat to police, he said, “Whenever we had tried to disarm these armed groups, a number of individuals from inside the government had prevented our move.”

Basharat did not name those supporting the illegal armed groups, but said the central government should make a decisive plan on disarming the armed groups threatening the security situation.

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