Negligence, The Main Cause Of Khanshin’s Seizure
MEP: Helmand’s provincial council, said the alert for falling Khanshin district of the province has been serious for the past three days, but local officials were negligent with respect to these warnings.
According to reports, Khanshin district of Helmand province, was seized last night by the armed Taliban and major parts of the district administration was out of government control.
Bashir Shaker, chairman of the Helmand’s Defense Council in talks with Middle East Press said the threat to the fall of Khanshin district was a serious case since three days before.
According to him, the local authorities and security have also been notified of the threats but they did not care about it and the district fell to the Taliban last night.
Shaker stated before the fall of Khanshin, Taliban groups launched a coordinated attack on the district from many sides and took all government offices.
“During the fall of the district, the district police chief and security officer were wounded” he added.
According to the source, the security forces are currently on the way from the center of Lashkargah to the district, to retake the control of Khanshin.
Omar Zwak, Helmand’s governor spokesman did not comment on the issue while the provincial council accused the local and security officials of negligence in the fall of the district.
Zwak said operations are underway to take back the district but when the questions of local and security authorities’ awareness of the threats comes to the point, he refuses to answer.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that conflicts around the district are ongoing and as a result of air strikes by security forces, 20 armed Taliban were killed and 15 others wounded.
One policeman was also killed and five others wounded so far in the clashes.
Parts of the district have fallen into the hands of the security forces, Zwak said.
The district had been collapsed three times by the Taliban. On 15 March 2016, the district was seized for the second time and later fell into the hands of Afghan security forces.
