Dozens of Afghan families fled their homes in Aghtash area of Khan Abad district, Kunduz.
Special Report from Kunduz ProvinceDozens of Afghan families fled their homes in Aghtash area of Khan Abad district, Kunduz.
Armed militia has been blamed for threatening and torturing families into leaving their homes and land in Kunduz province.
Some of these displaced families say while their children were forced to join the armed men, the families were forced to pay them money. Many civilians fled the area again last week.
Security officials have promised to take immediate action and disarm the armed men.
Sharifa, a housewife who has been homeless for months, says, “They took my keys and pulled me out of my house. They did not even allow us to wear our clothes. They told me your life is in our hands. They took away my husband.”
She said the men forced their children to buy weapons and they asked them to follow whatever their commanders ordered.
“They ruined my life,” she said, breaking down in tears. “We had everything. Now see my family situation. We had to leave our homes and pass nights in the desert. We had to lie down on hot sand. We have been homeless for four or five months.”
Motaseem Bellah, another victim of militia terror, says: “Now we are homeless because of threats made by commander Shakoor, commander Sayed Hussein and Nader and others. We were looted by local commanders; we lost our lands and crops.”
Abdul Shakoor, 13, also points fingers at Sayed Hussain. “We have been homeless because of Commander Sayed Hussein’s tyranny; he is an irresponsible armed man and forced locals to buy weapons. They took our house forcefully, and beat us and forced us to leave our homes. So what should we do…?”
Asadullah Amerkhail, head of the peace commission in Kunduz, said militia groups have to disarm themselves, or Afghan security forces will launch operations against them.
Another official thought it would be more appropriate if a commission is set up to probe the roots of the problem.
Sayed Sarwar Husseini, the spokesman of the Kunduz Police, admitted that armed individuals have threatened locals in Khan Abad district but he could not say who these people were.
Meanwhile, dozens of local residents in Qala-Zal district, Kunduz, are reported to have left their homes after harassment by armed men.
