JALALABAD (Pajhwok): At least 500 armed rebels have stormed Wantwigel district center in eastern Nuristan province, sparking a fierce firefight with police, an official said on Thursday.
The district is situated on the edge with Manogay district which is under Taliban control.
Yar Gul, acting district chief, told Pajhwok Afghan News hundreds of 500 militants from Manogay, Katar and Kambir districts attacked the district early Thursday morning. The gun fight was still ongoing, he added.
“I am now fighting militants who have attacked us from different sides. We direly need reinforcement from the Afghan National Army (ANA) and public otherwise we will suffer heavy casualties,” he told Pajhwok Afghan News.
ANA soldiers and Public Order Police can easily be deployed from Manogay district of Kunar province since they did not have forces in our district, Gul explained.
Eng. Sadullah, head of Nuristan provincial council, said: “The district could fall to militants and two of our police have already wounded in the firefight.”
Civilians were confined to their homes since their houses were located near the district centre, he added.
The head of provincial council urged the central government to dispatch reinforcement immediately to flush out anti-state militants from the province.
Acting Governor Hafiz Abdul Qayyum confirmed the attack but he assured that “the district will never fall to Taliban and our soldiers are strong enough to thwart Taliban attacks efficiently.”
Taliban have not commented on the incident as of yet.
shah /rm
