Hundreds of Uruzgan residents take up arms against Taliban

URUZGAN -- About 500 residents of Tirin Kot, Khas Uruzgan, Charchino and Deh Rahwood districts in Uruzgan Province have taken up arms to fight the Taliban.

The popular uprising members include those whose family members have joined the Afghan National Police.

Saidaa Jan, a tribal elder from Khas Uruzgan District, has two sons who work for the Afghan National Police. Jan himself has now decided to fight against the Taliban.

He said he reached that decision after militant attacks on Afghan forces increased in his area.

"I will never allow the Taliban militants to attack security posts," he told Salaam Times. "I will stop them myself. I will never put my gun down until I kill them or they kill me."

"[The militants] have fought here for the past few months," he said. "They destroyed our houses and killed our youth. It is better to fight them face to face instead of being killed."

Mohammad Agha, 22, a resident of Charchino District who is now in Tirin Kot, the provincial capital, also resolved to fight the Taliban after they attacked his village.

"I left my home when the Taliban fought against the Afghan forces in our areas," he told Salaam Times. "Now, I am far from my home and I will fight against them until I retake my area."

"We are standing by the government, and we will not retreat until we retake our land," he said.

Taliban stop reconstruction efforts

Some residents were motivated to fight the Taliban after seeing the militants prevent or destroy reconstruction projects throughout the province, said Amanullah Hotaki, a member of the Uruzgan Provincial Council.

"We, 500 people, took up our arms when the Taliban did not allow reconstruction works," he told Salaam Times.

"We were not provided with social services [under the Taliban]," he said. "The people were suffering from poverty; therefore, they had to stand beside the government to fight and capture their lands."

Haji Rahimullah Khan, the leader of the uprising group, said he persuaded many youth to help the government after security problems increased in Uruzgan over the past two years.

"Civil society activists, the elderly and youth took up whatever arms they had at home, and now they are standing shoulder to shoulder with the security forces," he told Salaam Times.

"Now, the government should strengthen and support the youth because Taliban can never win their allegiance," he said.

"We ... are standing with our security forces, and we are co-operating with them. We will not let the Taliban fight against us in our areas," he said, adding, "We are Muslims, and they should not kill us."

Uprising receives government support

Dost Muhammad Nayab, spokesman for the Uruzgan provincial governor, promised the government's support for the uprising members.

"The provincial government pledged that it would provide every kind of help to them," he told Salaam Times.

In 2015, residents of Uruzgan, facing the same oppression by militants that they endure now, took up arms against the Taliban and "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) militants.

"The public took up arms and stood up when the militants did not respect any human beings," he said. "The uprising members are ready to attack the Taliban and ISIS, and a number of them will join the police."