MAIMANA (Pajhwok): Provincial council officials of northwestern Faryab province said around 2,500 families were under siege by Taliban in Almar district of the province, which could spark a huge humanitarian crisis if the government failed to ameliorate the situation.
Security officials had said that hundreds of Taliban militants had arrived from Badghis, Ghor, Sar-i-Pul and Jawzjan provinces and started attacking parts of Qaisar, Almar and Pashtun Kot districts of Faryab.
Officials claimed inflicting heavy casualties on Taliban but rebels claimed other way round.
Provincial council head Sayed Abdul Baqi said Taliban captured 20 villages in the three districts of Faryab and the residents and upraising members of the villages have been displaced to Qarayee area of Almar district.
He told Pajhwok Afghan News around 2,500 families were living in Qarayee area, which was currently under siege of militants.
Qarayee is a strategic area and its capture by Taliban would also cause seven districts to fall to rebels, he said.
An Afghan Local Police (ALP) in Almar district Khairullah Qarayee said: “We and residents of Qarayee area are under siege of Taliban. We need urgent reinforcement and support from the government.”
He said ALP forces in the area on Monday received some equipment by helicopters to fight Taliban.
Amin Big, a local elder in Qarayee area, said security situation in their area was a matter of serious concern. He added it was the negligence of government that the Taliban get more powerful and capture more areas with each passing day.
However, a Wolesi Jirga member Mohammad Hasham Ortaq said he and a number of his colleagues shared the issue with the interior minister on Monday.
“We warned the minister if insecurity continues in Faryab it would cause a humanitarian tragedy similar like Maidan Wardak and Badakhshan incidents where several security personnel have been killed,” Ortaq said.