Officials who signed the controversial Dand-e-Ghori deal, on Sunday expressed their regrets over the accord with the Taliban.
They say the deal over Dand-e-Ghori area of Baghlan province could have paved the way for a surge in activities of the Taliban and expanded their influence in the volatile region.
Outraged by the deal, members of the Baghlan provincial council on Sunday said that the deal led the entire area to be out of the control of the government, calling on the prosecution of the elements who made the deal with the hardline group.
Violence increased dramatically in the area following the deal.
“We thought that they (Taliban) will avoid violence, but they exploited the opportunity,” said Safdar Mohseni, one if those who signed the deal.
It is believed that the deal paved the way for Taliban insurgents to gain footholds in other areas, a move that has posed serious threats to northern and northeastern provinces.
“It was a poisoned deal,” said a member of Baghlan provincial council Mohammad Hanif.
“The accord increased the morale of the enemy and it certified the existence of the enemy in Baghlan.”
“Government must launch an investigation into the matter and prosecute those who played a role in signing the accord,” another member Mohammad Zarif said.
Led by the minister of borders and tribal affairs Gulab Mangal, a government delegation visited Baghlan six months ago and signed the MoU with the Taliban which many believe was against a presidential order. The deal agreed Afghan security forces would not launch operations in Dand-e-Ghori.
“The enemy recruited fighters here and trained them. Taliban infiltrated from Dand-e-Ghori to Kunduz and other areas,” Baghlan MP Muhaiuddin Mahdi said.
Amid a surge in Taliban’s insurgency in Baghlan, the Afghan security forces however have launched a military campaign against the insurgents in Dand-e-Ghori and Dand-e-Shahbuddin areas in an attempt to eliminate the Taliban fighters and clear the area of the militants.
“Not only in Dand-e-Ghori, the security forces will continue their operation against them in all areas including Dand-e-Ghori and Dand-e-Shahbuddin,” Sediq Sediqqi, spokesman for the ministry of interior said.
This comes months after a similar accord had been signed with the Taliban in Musa Qala district of Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, a deal which later led to numerious challenges for Afghan troops.http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/23557-dand-e-ghori-officials-regret-deal-with-taliban
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