LASHKARGAH (PAN): The mysterious killings of policemen have increased as a result of negligence on the part of security officials in the southern province of Helmand, the governor said on Sunday.
During an exclusive interview, Mirza Khan Rahimi told Pajhwok Afghan News police deaths had increased in the province due to the negligence of security officials.
He said not having regular contacts with soldiers of security checkpoints and recruitment of militants’ spies in the police force could be blamed for the deaths.
“Sometimes people with links to Taliban come to these checkpoints as guests or reserved police, who kill other policemen,” he said, adding the Ministry of Interior (MoI) had ordered commanders to regularly visit their checkpoints.
The governor said a delegation had been appointed to investigate mysterious police deaths and to find out who did negligence, he said, adding such people would be punished after the result of the investigation.
They planned to reshuffle district police chiefs and checkpoint commanders, he said.
“Three days ago, my son Khaista Gul (a policeman) was killed along with his six colleagues in their checkpoint,” Zaher Gul, a resident of Garamser district, said, accusing officials of weak management.
“Officials with no experience have been appointed to high positions due to corruption which allows Taliban fighters to easily reach their targets,” he added.
Occupying police posts by local officials was one of the reasons that enabled Taliban to penetrate police force and attack them from inside, a Lashkargah City dweller, Abdul Malik Barakzai, said.
He asked the government to bring significant reforms to the police force in order to prevent such mysterious killings.
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