Faryab Provincial Council Elections

MAIMANA (Pajhwok): Taliban insurgents on Monday held captive the police chief for Ghormach in northern Faryab province along with some of his men, a local official said.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source told Pajhwok Afghan News Lt. Col. Abdul Majid Gleem Bafi, the Ghormach district police chief, was held captive on Monday afternoon. With his hands tied, the Taliban took him towards the district in a vehicle, the source added.

MAIMANA (Pajhwok): Taliban militants captured the Gorzaiwan district of northern Faryab province on Thursday afternoon, a public representative said.
Sayed Abdul Baqi Hashemi, the provincial council head, told Pajhwok Afghan News that Sarchakan, the district center, fell to Taliban at around 5:00pm.
Gorzaiwan, which is 100 kilometres from Maimana, the provincial capital, borders Sar-i-Pul, Ghor and Jawzjan provinces.

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.

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): Residents of the Qaisar district of Faryab province complain gunmen affiliated with the so-called People’s Movement are harassing civilians, looting their houses and robbing them of valuables.
They praise the security operations in the district, led by First Vice-President Gen, Abdul Rashid Dostum, but accuse the movement’s gunmen of torching civilian homes and snatching their motorbikes and other possessions.

MAIMANA (Pajhwok): Officials in northwestern Faryab province claimed inflicting heavy casualties on rebels and recapturing large areas of the province.
However, provincial council head says hundreds of families have been displaced due to fighting and families are in dire need of aid.
Acting Governor Abdul Sattar Bariz told Pajhwok Afghan News that 147 militants were killed and 150 others wounded during operations in Almar, Qaisar and Pashtoon Kot districts in the past two weeks.

MAIMANA (Pajhwok): Provincial council officials of northwestern Faryab province said around 2,500 families were under siege by Taliban in Almar district of the province, which could spark a huge humanitarian crisis if the government failed to ameliorate the situation.
Security officials had said that hundreds of Taliban militants had arrived from Badghis, Ghor, Sar-i-Pul and Jawzjan provinces and started attacking parts of Qaisar, Almar and Pashtun Kot districts of Faryab.
Officials claimed inflicting heavy casualties on Taliban but rebels claimed other way round.

ZARANJ/MAIMANA (Pajhwok): Three intelligence officials, two Taliban militants and a district attorney have been killed in separate incidents in Faryab and Nimroz provinces, officials said on Thursday.
Nimroz National Directorate of Security (NDS) chief Maj. Rahmatullah Nasir told Pajhwok Afghan News the three NDS personnel, including an officer, were killed by Taliban in the Dilaram district.
The three were on a patrol in Dilaram district centre on Wednesday afternoon when Taliban gunmen opened fire at their car.

MAIMANA (Pajhwok): Provincial council head in northern Faryab province voiced concerns over deteriorating law and order amid complaints of growing number of foreign insurgents that poses serious threat to peace and stability of the province.
According to provincial council, since the beginning of their work major focus have been shifted to address security issues and resolving people’s problems.
Sayed Abdul Baqi Hashimi, Faryab provincial council head, told Pajhwok Afghan News security was of a major concern in the province amid lack of sufficient forces.

MAIMANA (Pajhwok): Some media officials and activists in northern Faryab province complain interference by local officials, lack of funds and support of the government and specifically growing insecurity are among reasons slowing down the role of media in the province.
The activists warn if government and international organisations fail to support media it would be a big blow to the government’s achievements in the last 14 years.

MAIMANA (Pajhwok): Director High Peace Council (HPC) for northwestern Faryab province has survived a bomb attack, an official said on Thursday.
An official wishing anonymity told Pajhwok Afghan News the bomb was planted in front of HPC Director Maulvi Jamali in Tanori area of Maimana City, the provincial capital.
The source said the bomb went-off around 8: 00 pm last night but no one suffered injuries. Investigation into the incident had been launched, the official said.
Jamali said the explosion was so powerful that it left windowpanes of his home smashed.