Afghanistan Times
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AT-KABUL: Tens of residents of Kokcha district of Takhar province staged protest on Thursday and asked the government to dismantle the militia force in the district as the local militiamen were harassing locals and are involved in crimes.
Chanting slogan, “Death to illegal armed groups and local militia” the protestors said that the public uprising members and illegal armed groups were committing crimes in the district but the government has turned a blind eye.
“Residents of Kokcha are suffering from growing insecurity. Student cannot go to school, and shopkeepers are not feeling safe in shops,” said Wahidullah, a protestor.
He said that the age of governments that are protected by illegal armed group and local militia is shorter. “Therefore, it is required of government to take steps and destroy the illegal armed group,” he asked.
Nasir Ahmad Samim, another protestor, said that since establishment of the National Unity Government, security situation got worse in northern parts of the country particularly in Takhar province.
Several cases of murder, armed robbery, organized crime, threats, harassment and abuse were reported in the last few months as militiamen and criminals are dominating Kokcha and Rostaq districts, the protestors claimed.
At the end of the protest demonstration, the protestors released a resolution asking the central government and judicial bodies to take notice of the issue and disarm the local militia force and illegal armed groups in Kokcha and Rostaq districts. They asked the government to fight the culture of impunity and improve security in the province.
When Afghanistan Times tried to contact Ministry of Interior’s spokesman, he was unavailable for comments.
