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Over 5,600 families displaced by fighting in South Afghanistan

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KABUL, 17 October, 2020, (TON): Recent renewed clashes between Afghanistan government forces and Taliban in Southern Helmand province has forced more than 5,600 families to flee from their homes. Officials said on Thursday that the latest renewed flare-up could undermine US efforts to broker peace in the war-torn country.

Clashes between the Taliban and Afghan government forces geared up when they were holding Peace talks in Qatar; Where the Taliban had maintained a political office for years. The negotiations, envisaged under a US deal signed with the insurgents in February, are meant to end Afghanistan’s grueling 19-year war and are seen as the possibility for Afghanistan to be in peace.

The Trump administration has pledged to take out American forces from Afghanistan however US officials are stressed that the Taliban have still not met requirements to lessen fighting and aggression against the Afghans, which is the key element of the US withdrawal plan.

In Helmand Provincial governor’s spokesman Omar Zwak  said that “Afghan security forces were trying to regain areas lost to the Taliban over the weekend, while local officials were scrambling to provide food and shelter to the growing number of civilians fleeing from nearby districts to the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah”.

A local resident of the area Ajab Gul 25, and his family have been in the city for four days  He said that “The Taliban’s have taken over our village and both sides in the battle are using light and heavy weapons, so how could we stay there?”

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