An internally displaced Afghan woman stands with her daughters in front a makeshift tent in a camp on a rocky patch of land, after fleeing fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security personnel, on the edge of the city of Mazar-e-Sharif.
Amid raging violence in Afghanistan. a curfew has been enforced in the Afghan city of Kandahar. Efforts are underway to curb the violence that escalated due to clashes between the Afghan forces and Taliban fighters. Restrictions on movement will be in place from 9 pm until 5 am, Sputnik reported.
The Kandahar military security council recommended that residents staying in other parts of Afghanistan should not return to the city until further notice.
Kandahar in recent days witnessed a massive surge in Taliban-infused violence after insurgents launched multiple attacks to get hold of the provinces of Kandahar. Afghan national army commandos are deployed to counter Taliban resurgence in respective disturbing zones.
The violence surge comes amid the drawdown of foreign forces from Afghanistan. As the Taliban continues to seize new territory, US officials have been engaged in talks with countries neighbouring Afghanistan to support the Afghan Defense Forces. Other south and central Asian countries are also engaged in talks to advance peace talks.
The curfew came hours after Sediq Karzai, a Kandahar special forces commander, was killed in clashes with the Taliban over control of the town of Spin Boldak on the border with Pakistan. During the violence, Indian photo-journalist for Reuters, Danish Siddique was also killed.
India has its embassy in Kabul along with the consulates in Kandahar and Mazar where it has over 500 staff deployed. Two consulates in Herat and Jalalabad had ceased operations earlier.
Meanwhile, Former US President George W. Bush had criticized the Western withdrawal from Afghanistan in an interview with a German broadcaster released Wednesday, saying he fears that Afghan women and girls will “suffer unspeakable harm.”
(With ANI Inputs)
