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235 trapped civilians rescued from Taliban, Daesh captivity in Sar-e-Pul
By Farhad Naibkhel-KABUL: A large army combatant convoy arrived in Sayyad district of Sar-e-Pul province to recapture the Mirza–Olang village that fell to Taliban and Daesh on Saturday.
“The big combatant convoy of 209 Shaheen army corps reached to Sayad district of Sar-e-Pul and started operation to recapture Mirza-Olang village,” said Ministry of Defense (MoD) in a statement.
Operation will be continued to suppress all insurgents in Mirza-Olang village, added statement.
Governor of Sar-e-Pul Zahir Wahdat said that “If the security forces do not clear the insurgents, I will not let them to go back or I will leave the province with them.”
He said that we were waiting for reaching of additional forces to start operations
We will exert utmost efforts to prevent civilian casualties during operation in Mirza-Olang.
Pointing to 450 displaced families from Mirza-Olang, he said that efforts hold to provide them relief item.
Meanwhile provincial governor Spokesman, Zabiullah Amani said that 235 civilians were rescued from Taliban and Daesh captivity yesterday afternoon, who had been trapped in Mirza-Olang village of Sayyad district of Sar-e-Pol province, after it fall to the militants Saturday.
He said that the villagers, mostly children, women and elderly people, who spent four days under militants’ captivity, were released with the mediation of local elders, today afternoon.
The villagers who suffered lots of pain at the hands of the militants, talking of the cruelty beyond than what we had been informed of” he added.
The village captured by the Taliban on Saturday after two days of heavy fighting in which the two sides, government forces and militants, suffered casualties.
Taliban in the attack to break through the defense line of the security forces were also supported by local Daesh loyalists as well.
The militants after capturing the village killed more than 50 villagers including women and children, while taking more than 150 families in captivity for the past four days, according to local officials.
According to local officials, central government after four days today sent ground and air force, who today evening arrived in the province to push the militants back from the fallen village.
However Taliban had rejected civilians’ massacre and said only 28 pro-government fighters had been killed in face to face battle and no more people were harmed after they took the village.
