TALOQAN (PAN): Though there is no imminent security threat from Taliban, heavy presence of armed groups and drugs smugglers in some districts of the Northern Province are some of the challenges being confronted by the locals, officials said.
They said anti-state and social elements had been operating in Dasht-i-Qala, Yangi Qala, Darqad, Khwaja Bahaudin, Khwaja Ghar and Rustaq districts of the province.
Brig. Gen. Abdul Hanan Qataghani, provincial police chief said enhanced trend of professionalism among the security forces had helped establishing tight security and law and order elsewhere in the province.
In his chat with Pajhwok Afghan News, he said security threats in the provincial capital and 16 districts had now been reduced as compared to the past, noticing greater decrease in criminal cases.
Security situation witnessed dramatic progress after the deployment of 600 Afghan Local Police (ALP) to Darqad and Khwaja Ghar districts, according to Qataghani who said the move had helped in generation of more employment opportunities for the people of the area.
Despite improved security, a handful of rebels, receiving support from Jandullah and Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), were functioning in the mentioned seven districts, he said, noting efforts were on to flush them out from the populated areas.
"Rebels are now weak and have no ability to confront the security forces," he added.
He said most of the areas were purged of rebels after noticing that militants had staged attacks on the security forces.
As compared to the previous years, the drugs smuggling was reduced but the drugs mafia had made the mentioned restive districts as their sanctuaries to transport their drugs to Central Asian states.
Governor Abdul Latif Ibrahim linked the improved security in the province to the cooperation extended by the people to the security forces.
Sometimes armed rebels were sneaking into the province through Khwaja Ghar, Bangi and Ishkamish districts because of having shared borders with neighboring Baghlan and Kunduz provinces.
In order to accelerate development activities and improve the order in the province, Ibrahimi said the security forces would hold a joint meeting with the governors of Badakhshan, Kunduz and Baghlan provinces in near future to eradicate the menace.
There was good environment for executing development activities, the governor said, urging relevant ministries and donor agencies to keep the development projects forward as there would be no security threat.
A number of mega projects such as construction of 52-bed hospital and ring-road in Taloqan city and extension of electric power from neighboring Tajikistan through Kunduz to Takhar province this year were linked to improved security, said the governor.
In disregard of comments made by local officials, a number of residents of the Northern Province had been complaining of deteriorating security.
Mohammad Akram, a resident of Darqad district said they were did not believe the security was enhanced, adding they used to return to their homes early because of lawlessness.
He said: "The routes linking Darqad with the provincial capital are under Taliban control. The locals did not feel themselves secure while traveling between Taloqan city and the district," he added.
A number of villages located close to the central district were a little bite secure, while rebels were openly extending activities to the town.
Abdul Rahim, a resident of Khwaja Ghar district said security situation witnessed immense progress following deployment of local police to the district.
He said individuals functioning among local police were residents of the district and they had full information about those people, who previously operated in the Taliban rank.
He urged upon the authorities to increase the number of ALP deployment. Fazal Ahmad, a resident of Taloqan city, said residents of the capital city were living in a secured environment as compared to the past.
Also a student of literature faculty, he said mobile patrols by security forces each night disabled the outlaws to deteriorate the security situation.
Mohammad Arif, a resident of Farkhar district said they could easily commute between the district and the provincial capital, thanks to the security forces for keeping maintain tight security.
He said the presence of armed individuals was a main source of concern for the locals, demanding that anti-state militants should be flushed out of the province.
He said Farkhar was a centre of Jihad and resistance in the past, where the locals and ex-jihad commanders have been striving to seriously deal with the outlaws.
In order to foil insurgency, they have installed several security posts on Taloqan-Faiz Abad and Taloqan-Kunduz highways, the local security officials said.
They said efforts were ongoing for disarming of illegal armed individuals in Farkhar and Rustaq district and arresting of armed robbers functioning in KhwajGhar and Baharak districts and some parts of Taloqan city.