Taliban uses civilian houses as strongholds

Monitoring Desk

KABUL: Local security officials said Taliban militants in Imam Sahib District in Kunduz province have been using civilian houses as strongholds for the past four years. Officials at the Afghan army’s Pamir 20 Division have said that in recent clearance operations more than fifty Taliban’s strongholds in the Imam Sahib district have been destroyed.

“The Pamir 14 operation, conducted since 7th of December, has now ended. Security forces made many advances clearing several villages which were under Taliban rule for past four years,” said Zamari Faizi a security commander in Afghan army’s Pamir 20 Division. “During the operation security forces killed more than 130 Taliban and wounded more than 50 others,” said Amanullah Ibrahimi, the police chief of Imam Sahib District police chief.

“During the operation 50 of the Taliban’s strongholds which were built in the civilian’s houses, were destroyed and many Taliban’s weapon caches have been discovered,” said Mahbubllah Saeedi, Imam Sahib District governor. During the operation, nearly ten villages that were under Taliban’s rule for past four years had been cleared.