Saturday October 3, 2015
Kabul (BNA) Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, met the other day with a number of elders, influential figures and representatives of Kunduz province in ARG, his office said in a statement.
In the meeting in which Ahmad Zia Massoud, the President’s extraordinary representative in good governance and reforms was also present, Senator Mohammad Deen Hamdard, Eng. Abdul Hadi Aimaq and Assaddullah Omarkheil spoke on behalf of others and presented to the President their issues and recommendations concerning the situation in that province, the statement further said.
Expressing support for the government programs, they said that we praise the conduct of security forces in addressing the Kunduz city incident.
The representatives of Kunduz province reiterated that the businessmen and citizens of the province will continue to cooperate with the government as before, and try to expand business.
They asked for strengthening of security sector in that province and reiterated that the people of Kunduz will stand beside the security forces and will not allow the social order to be disrupted by irresponsible individuals. After listening to the requests and recommendations of the elders of Kunduz province, President Ghani commended the enduring cooperation and bravery of the people of that province. On the situation in Kunduz province, the President said that the administration of that province is in the hands of our security and defense forces. He added that I constantly get updated and monitor the situation directly. Touching on the successful military operations by the defense and security forces in Kunduz Province, the President said that the military operation will not remain limited to the city and expand to the outskirts and surrounding provinces. President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani said that I have assigned a security commission in Kunduz to prevent irresponsible individuals from entering the city. On increasing the tashkil of security forces in Kunduz province, the President said that certain measures have been put in place and that a strong division will be created in the framework of 209th Shaheen Army Corps.
Underscoring the economic importance of Kunduz province, President Ghani said that this province is a transit center and highway in north of the country, which is of vital importance. The President reiterated that the war has been imposed on us and some want to turn Kunduz province into the center of mass for global terrorism. At the end of the meeting, the President said that Kunduz province has a strong national composition and the elders of the province should not allow divisiveness in the name of tribe. According to another report, based on a press release from the Presidential Palace, preliminary assessment of Kunduz city shows that Taliban and their terrorist collaborators in addition to causing fear and intimidation among the citizens of Kunduz, have resorted to extrajudicial killings of civil and military individuals and residents of Kunduz as well as torturing and harassing them, the President Press Office said in a statement. The Taliban violated people’s dignity and honor, resorted to rape, and set free the prisoners most of who had been convicted of murder or violation of people’s dignity and property. They looted people’s belongings and government’s property, set fire to a number of government buildings including those of Radio and Television, educational and higher educational institutions, and have inflicted severe losses on the business and commerce of the people of Kunduz province, the statement further said.
They have also looted the belongings and properties of United Nations offices, and other NGOs, consulates and representations of foreign countries. These acts – as reported in latest release by Amnesty International – during armed conflicts are recognized on the basis of humanitarian laws as crimes against humanity. The government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is committed to legally prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes, and to that end assigns a civilian commission to assess the losses sustained as a result of the Taliban presence in Kunduz City and the crimes that they have committed in this period, determine the scale of the losses, identify those responsible and surrender them to Law.
