11 August 2017

News Story: Ghani Faces Backlash After Mass Killing in Sar-e-Pul

By Tamim Hamid

President Ashraf Ghani’s recent remarks that the Afghan government will take revenge on insurgent groups for the blood of civilians, have sparked strong condemnation from the members of the public and civil society institutions.

Their reaction follows just five days after the insurgents seized control of a small valley in the volatile Sar-e-Pul province in northern Afghanistan, killing over 50 civilians.

The killing of civilians in Mirza Olang valley marks one of the worst attacks in the country by the militants over the recent weeks in which scores of Afghan civilians were killed, and hundreds wounded and others abducted.

On Wednesday Afghan citizens and civil society activists said that the president, over the past two years after every terror attack, has sent the same message. However, no practical step has been taken by the government to deliver on its promises made to the nation, people say.

“The government makes promises, but does not act upon them,” said Tamim, a resident of Kabul.

Read the full story at TOLOnews