A number of residents of Tagab district in the northeastern Badakhshan province on Saturday blamed the local government for intention to peoples’ safety, saying that the relevant organizations should investigate the killing of at least 35 Afghan Local Police and Public Uprising forces in the province.
“We are worried about our future. The unawareness of local officials helped the Taliban to kill the forces,” said Amrullah Saleh, a resident of Badakhshan.
“We are concerned about our safety,” another resident Adham said. “Local officials including governor and the police chief are reluctant. The bloodshed in Warduj was repeated in Tagab.”
According to local officials, lack of intelligence information about the Taliban’s plot was one of the main reasons behind the incident.
Badakhshan Police Chief Abdul Khaliq Aqsaee said the policemen had lost their lives due to the “negligence” of intelligence institutions.
He said the incident will be probed in the near future.
“We did not have any military operation in the area where the forces were killed. The forces were there, but actually, the intelligence forces and the soldiers failed to identify and foil the enemy’s bid,” he stated.
The incident took place on Friday night when a group of Taliban attacked an outpost of the local police force members in Tagab district – close to the provincial capital Faizabad city.
At least 10 local policemen were wounded in the incident.
Badakhshan Provincial Council members meanwhile criticized security forces over the incident and said the issue must be probed.
“Mysterious killing of dozens of soldiers in a district is questionable. Government must respond about this,” said Jawed Mujaddidi, a member of the council.
Health officials in the province said a number of the wounded forces are in critical condition.
“Thirty five bodies and 10 injured have been taken to our hospital. They were killed and wounded in the conflict between security forces and the Taliban in Badakhshan’s Tagab district,” the provincial public health director Noor Khawari said.