Taliban Rejects Reports of Civilian Deaths in Attack on Afghan Village
KABUL (Tasnim) – Afghan Taliban Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid rejected reports that the group has recently killed dozens of Shiite civilians in a remote village in northern Afghanistan as rumors spread by the US and Afghan governments.
According to Tasnim dispatches, Mujahid claimed no civilian was killed in the Taliban’s recent attack on Mirza Olang village in the northern Sar-e Pol Province.
The Washington and Kabul governments are seeking to defame the Taliban, the spokesman for the militant group said, adding that in the clashes with Afghan security forces in the village, only 28 police forces were killed.
He went on to say that prior to the clashes, there were about 250 families in the area, adding that due to the danger of US airstrikes on the village, the Taliban opened the route for the people to leave the area.
The spokesman further emphasized that the media can clarify the truth to all by interviewing people who have just left the area.
Afghan officials are seeking to spread rumors to demonize the Taliban and sow discord among the people, he went on to say.
According to some international media outlets, some 60 people, including women and children, were killed during the attack on Mirza Olang village last Sunday. A number of Afghan security forces were also among the dead.
The militants set fire to several mosques, torched at least 30 houses, beheaded a number of villagers and shot dozens of others dead, the reports said.
