Provincial Council Elections

Pakistan border guards constructing facilities in Paktia

HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): Over a hundred residents of western Herat province on Tuesday condemned recent incidents of poisoning of students and teachers, seeking the arrest of those involved in the crime.
More than 800 students, including girls, were poisoned last week in a series of poisoning incidents at different schools of Injil and Guzra districts, as well the provincial capital.

GARDEZ (Pajhwok): At least six border policemen have been killed during a clash with militants in the Dand-i-Patan district of southeastern Paktia province, an official said on Tuesday.
The clash has been ongoing for the past two days in the district that shares a border with Pakistan. The 202nd Border Zone commander acknowledged the loss six border police personnel.
Brig. Gen. Abdul Basir Khpalwak told Pajhwok Afghan News a number of security officials had suffered injuries during the fight. Taliban militants also suffered casualties, he said without giving exact figures.

6 border policemen killed in ongoing Paktia clash

JALALABAD (Pajhwok): The acting governor on Monday asked the Parliament to pay proper attention to the development of eastern Nuristan province while approving upcoming annual budget.
Hafiz Abdul Qayyum told Pajhwok Afghan News during an interview that the condition of all roads in the province was terrible and still most of the areas remained disconnected from Paroon, the provincial capital.

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (PAN): People of the Zara district of Balkh province on Monday asked the government to arrest the killers of 12 civilians, who were shot to death two days ago.
The civilians were got down from their vehicles on their way from Koshundi district to Zara and shot dead on Saturday. The bodies of the victims were handed over to their families a day later.
A representative from province in the Wolesi Jirga, Abbas Ibrahimzada, asked the government to bring the perpetrators to justice, saying all victims belonged to the Hazara ethnic community.

MAIMANA (Pajhwok): The Shakh bazaar of Qaisar district in northwestern Faryab province has been recaptured by the Taliban as Afghan forces remain besieged, an official said acknowledged on Monday.
The Shakh area containing a population of 20,000, had been under the Taliban control for the past three years. However, it was recently retaken by Afghan forces as a result of an operation last month.
Local officials said Shakh bazaar, sharing borders with Badghis and Ghor provinces, had been a flourishing arms and drug bazaar as long as it stayed under Taliban’s control.

Faryab’s Shakh bazaar once again falls to insurgents

FEROZKOH (Pajhwok): The provincial council head for western Ghor province says appointments to local departments take place on the basis of nepotism, alienating people from the government.
Fazel Haq Ehsan, in an exclusive interview, told Pajhwok Afghan News government departments did not perform their duties in line with the law and preferred relations in appointing new employees.