Taliban Threaten Panjwai Residents for Turning to Government

Taliban insurgents are threatening the local residents of southern Kandahar province's Panjwai district with death if they refer to their local councils to solve their problems, an official said.

Panjwai district governor Haji Fazel Mohammad said the residents of Panjwai villages receive death threats from the militants if they go to their local government-appointed authorities to resolve any issues.

He said some of the council representatives have already been killed or injured.

"The armed opposition groups have gone into homes of residents and mosques in the Panjwai district and told people not to go to the councils, saying we will kill those who disobey," Mohammad said, adding that the problem has been happening more or less for eight years.

He also said that a clearing military operation named ‘Decisive Decision' was recently launched by the Afghan security forces in the district to drive out the insurgents, and he hopes it will have achieved its aims by the end of the operation.

Meanwhile, the Taliban rejected Mohammad's claims of threatening the local villagers.