At least 34 policemen, including a commander, have surrendered to the Taliban with arms and ammunition in the Dolina district of western Ghor province, an official said on Tuesday.
Mohammad Hassain Danishyar, the town’s administrative chief, said Afghan Local Police (ALP) Commander Ziaul Haq had joined the Taliban with along 29 ALP and four national police personnel in Khak Yarak locality, 40 kilometres southwest of the district centre.
The security personnel surrendered 30 Kalashnikov assault rifles, three machine guns, one anti-aircraft gun, one mortar and a large quantity of other weapons, he claimed, saying the fighters had seized security check-posts. Earlier the security of the area was maintained by Haq.
Ghor Governor Ghulam Naser Khazeh could not be reached for comments despite multiple phone calls to his office.
By Hassan Hakimi
