Reports indicate that about 98 soldiers killed in the attack on the Afghan National Army 209 Shaheen Military Corps Headquarters in Balkh province on Friday were from Badakhshan and Takhar provinces alone and that more than 50 of these bodies have still not been returned to their families.
According to the families of the victims, they have only received 51 bodies and are waiting for the rest.
“Three coffins were transferred from Mazar-e-Sharif to Badakhshan in a truck. It is a big insult to these martyrs,” said Ghulam Mohammad Atashpoor, a civil society activist from Badakhshan.
“I console the victims’ families and wish the fallen soldiers paradise. It is a shame for government that after four days, out of 65 martyrs (from Takhar), only 30 of them have been returned home. Families are waiting for their son’s bodies,” said Muhibullah Sharifi, a religious scholar.
Local provincial officials said 65 soldiers and officers are from Badakhshan and 33 are from Takhar.
“I do not have any information on the number of deaths, but we have a cold-storage room in the hospital and the army camp will keep the bodies until their families collect them,” said Gul Mohammad Bidar, Badakhshan governor’s deputy said.
The ministry of defense (MoD) also said they have transferred 30 bodies to Badakhshan province.
“I cannot say anything about the numbers that people are talking about, but we have transferred 30 bodies to Badakhshan so far,” said Afzal Aman, MoD deputy minister.
Takhar province public health director, Hafizullah Safi, meanwhile said out of 33 victims only 21 bodies have been transferred to the provincial hospital.
“21 martyrs have been brought to the hospital so far,” he said.
In other reports, families of the victims claim the army failed to even cover the bodies with shrouds.
“I don’t think that the lack of a shroud is a crime, instead I think burying a soldier with his military uniform on is a big honor,” Aman said.
The families sharply criticized government and said their loved ones bodies should be handed over to them.