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Khas Residents Demand Prosecution of IAG Commander

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Residents from the Khas district of Uruzgan province and civil society members gathered in Kabul on Monday to call attention to the activities of Illegal Armed Groups (IAGs). They accused Hakim Shojaee, the commander of an IAG in Uruzgan, of killing, torturing and extorting money from the locals, and claimed that he has received support from government officials.

"We are being tormented by Hakim. He is backed by elements inside the government," said Abdul Malik, a resident of Khas District.

Several residents and even local dignitaries said that they have been threatened by the commander and his subordinates. The protestors demanded justice for the families of Mr. Shojaee and his IAG's victims.

"Members of commander Hakim's gang are committing horrific crimes in the area. We have asked the government to take steps but they choose to ignore the matter," said former Senator Muhammad Hanif Hanifi.

Hayatullah Hayat, the head of the Coordination Center of Civil Society Institutions, urged the government to settle the issue as quickly as possible.

"Civil society institutions are demanding that the issue should be investigated as quickly as possible," said Mr. Hayat.

Meanwhile, the Afghan Ministry of Interior (MoI) said that it has started investigating the issue and assured that it would resolve the matter soon.

"We have initiated necessary investigations, soon we will arrest those who have been troubling the civilians," said Sediq Sediqi, spokesman of the MoI.

In the past, the MoI strongly condemned the activities of the Uruzgan IAGs and assured that they would be arrested soon.

Last week, the MoI announced that an arrest warrant was issued for Shojaee. The warrant was issued after a number of residents of Khas district registered complaints of harassment and torture against Shojaee and his gang. The complaints reported that armed men belonging to Shojaee's IAG were launching frequent attacks on local residents, resulting in the deaths of two children and injuries of dozens more.


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