Situation back to normal in Bala Murghab: MoD

KABUL (TOLO News): The Ministry of Defense in a statement on Saturday said the Bala Murghab district in Badghis province in the northwest of Afghanistan has been fully cleared of militants and that the situation is back to normal in the district.

Bala Murghab came under attack by militants earlier this month and it was partially cleared of militants on April 11 after it was under siege by the Taliban for almost 10 days.

The ministry said in the statement that people can open their shops and that the situation is back to normal in Bala Murghab.

The Afghan forces defused at least 50 mines as they were placed in civilian houses, sacred places, roads and shops by the Taliban during their attack on the district – in which they captured some key areas of the district, including the police headquarters for few days, the statement said.

The statement added that a new district police chief and a district governor were appointed for Bala Murghab to “better ensure the safety of the people”.

Bala Murghab is a strategic district in Badghis province, surrounded by some other volatile districts such as Ab Kamari, Muqur, Jawand and Qadis.

Last time, Bala Murghab came under Taliban attack early in March and was under siege for more than two weeks, leaving more than two dozens of security forces dead and almost 28 of them gone missing.

According to the Ministry of Defense, at least 100 Taliban militants were killed in the clashes earlier this month.

The ministry said that Yasin Zia, the Deputy Minister of Defense for Security, joined the Commando forces in their last operation in the district on Friday.