The ongoing war and presence of Taliban insurgents in Dand-e-Shahabuddin area in PD5 of Pul-e-Khumri city of northern Baghlan province has made life extremely difficult for locals, residents said on Thursday.

The residents said that currently they are caught up in the battles, “day and night”, between Taliban insurgents and Afghan security forces.

“Battles between Taliban and security forces prevent us from working,” residents said. 

Sixty-year-old Sayed Hassan said every day “we are doing our work in the battles and we are 
tired of this situation.”

“Every day there is fighting. It’s very hard for us to work in such a situation. We want the government to make peace and bring stability to our area,” he said.

In the meantime, the security forces confirmed the insurgents activity in Dand-e-Shahabuddin is also threatening the security of Baghlan-Kunduz highway.

“The Taliban is very active in Dand-e-Shahabuddin and we cannot leave the check post. The government has to launch a military operation to clear the area,” a local police soldier told TOLOnews.

However no officials were prepared to talk to the media about the situation. 

Dand-e-Shahabuddin area which is in Pul-e-Khumri city has been under Taliban control for almost two years, officials said. 

The security forces have not yet launched any military operation to clear the area of insurgents.

TOLOnews reporter, Sharif Amiry, who visited the area, said the “people were using donkeys to travel along the highway to Dand-e-Shahabuddin.”

“The residents told me that the Taliban create check posts on the Baghlan-Kunduz highway. They (residents) are demanding that government launches a military operation to clear the insurgents from the area,” Amiry said. 

Dand-e-Shahabuddin has become a strategic area for the Taliban in the northern parts of the country.

Dand-e-Ghori is another part of the city which is insecure.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said that Dand-e-Ghori area of Pul-e-Khumri city was the central command and control point of the Taliban in Baghlan.

Deputy minister of defense Major General Shaor Gul said a military operation will soon be launched to destroy Taliban safe havens in Dand-e-Ghori, which has been a key region for the Taliban over the past four years. 

“It is planned that in the near future an operation will be conducted to destroy terrorist safe havens (in Dand-e-Ghori),” Gul said.

Security forces in the province also carry a huge responsibility to maintain security in Pul-e-Khumri city of Baghlan province.