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Afghanistan
Security Forces Thwart Taliban Attack On Ghazni
2015-10-13
[Tolo News] Talibs reportedly closed the Kabul
...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the World and didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either....
-Kandahar highway on Monday in the Qarabagh district in Ghazni province in the hope of attacking six parts of the province. However,
some people cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go...
their attack was foiled by Afghan cops who battled the gunnies for a few hours.

The highway is a key transit route as it connects Kabul with Ghazni, Kandahar, Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
, Herat
...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns...
and Farah provinces in the country's southern and western parts.

Owners of transport companies in Kabul told how they are faced with ongoing security threats on the highway and that their problems were made worse after the Taliban closed the highway for hours on Monday.

Zikria, a driver for one of the transport companies, said he avoids the highway if he has passengers in his vehicle.

"I was the first car in a line to move towards Herat but my friends called me and advised me not to travel because there was a battle going on in Qarabagh district in Ghazni and the Taliban had closed the way," he said.

According to the transport companies, more than 90 vehicles -- including buses -- had been stuck in Qarabagh and their passengers now want compensation.

The head of one of the bus companies told TOLOnews on condition of anonymity that a number of buses and other vehicles from the company had turned back to Kabul at 2 am local time on Monday. He said that a number of passengers had been taken to a Ghazni hospital -- but he did not give reasons as to why they needed medical treatment.

Another driver who covers the Kabul-Kandahar Highway route told TOLOnews that they were stopped on the road by the Taliban and barred from continuing. "They [the Taliban] told us not to go forward as there was the danger of bombs and grenades. They [the Taliban] have not done anything to anyone so far," he added.

One passenger, Ihsan, who was on his way to Helmand to attend his brother's funeral, said he was able to leave as the road was closed.

"We were just informed that my brother has passed away. I came here but there are no tickets for sale and the way is closed," he said.

Meanwhile,
...back at the desert island, Bert was realizing to his horror that he'd had only one bottle for one message, and he'd forgotten to include a return address...
PD5 officials from Kabul, where the bus companies are based, tried to prevent passengers and drivers from commenting on the situation along the highway. If they wanted to speak to TOLOnews, they had to get permission from the officials.

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) meanwhile spoke out about the heavy festivities against the Taliban in the province and said the gunnies will be defeated in Ghazni.

"Talibs wanted to attack six parts of Ghazni including the central city but we repelled their attacks and we used aerial attacks as well," said Sediq Sediqi, front man for MoI.
Posted by:Fred

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