News - Afghanistan

Lawmakers raised concerns at the growth of armed groups, including those which are pro-government, after a clash between residents and local militia in Kunduz turned deadly on Sunday.

Illegal armed forces may pose a major threat to the security of Afghanistan, the speaker of the Parliament Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi said in Monday's sitting session.

"Most of the irresponsible local forces are a major threat for the security of Afghanistan," he said, urging the government to closely monitor the activities of such forces.

Kabul MP Shinkai Zahin Karokhil said that the northern Kunduz province should be protected from these forces before it turns into a fighting ground between different local armed groups.

The statements come after Sunday's incident in Kunduz killed or wounded as many as 20 civilians when local militia opened fire in a public place after clashing with some of the residents.

Provincial spokesman Enyatullah Khaliq said that at least eight civilians were killed and nine were injured after insurgents attacked local residents who retaliated the killing of two civilians the night before.

However, other witnesses and news reports claim that the armed men who fired on the civilians were not insurgents but a pro-governmnet group. Some say they were the local police.

Khaliq refuted the local police claim on Sunday, telling TOLOnews that there were no local police operating in the area.