Taliban out to foment ethnic trouble in Ghazni: Governor

GHAZNI CITY (Pajhwok): The governor of southern Ghazni province on Saturday accused the Taliban of stirring up tribal disputes. However, the militant group rejected the allegation.

Governor Abdul Karim Mateen told reporters here the Taliban, in compliance with orders from neighbouring countries, were trying to create problems among residents of Qarabagh district.

A month back, Pashtuns and Hazaras had a serious land and water problem in the district. The tribal dispute resulted in the killing of one Pashtun. The Hazara tribe was blamed for the killing.

After the incident, the Pashtuns complained to the Taliban against the Hazaras. The militants, subsequently, kidnapped 11 Hazara tribesmen.

The governor alleged the insurgent actions paved the ground for tribal conflicts in the area. The Taliban had also closed down the road to the Hazara-dominated Nekhtai locality of the district.

He said: “Two days back, the people of Sherzad and Nekhtai areas came to my office and said our issue is legal, which the Taliban are trying to convert into a tribal problem.”

But Hassan Yousafi, a provincial council member, asked the government to solve the issue as soon as possible.

Noor Mohammad, a resident of Qarabagh, said the issue had been left unresolved so far and they wanted the government to take steps to defuse tensions between the two tribes.

Mohammad Arif Noori, the governors’ spokesman, said the local administration had been trying to resolve the dispute through a tribal jirga.

For his part, Taliban’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said they never fueled tribal tensions. “We have brought both sides together many times to solve the issue according to the Shariah but the problem still persists.”