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| Hizb-e-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar |
By Tamim Hamid
While the fate of Hizb-e-Islami (HIA) fighters remains uncertain, the ministry of defense (MoD) said on Saturday that they were also unsure of the exact number of weapons owned by the group and its members but that all political parties need to hand in their munitions.
“I don’t know how many weapons and which weapons are with them [Hizb-e-Islami members]. These things would have been mentioned in their [Hizb-e-Islami’s] agreement with government. They would have reached an agreement in this respect and they will act upon it,” said Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the Ministry of Defense.
The presence of hundreds of heavily armed men accompanying the Hizb-e-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s convoy to Kabul nine days ago sparked major concern among the people and MPs.
Meanwhile, Hizb-e-Islami members last week announced that they have named 3,500 members of the group to be deployed in the security agencies.
“I think we will not need to have an individual army. Our security forces are at the service of those who live in areas under government’s control and these forces have the responsibility to ensure the safety of the people,” said MP Abdul Hafiz Mansour.
A number of Kabul residents meanwhile called on government to collect the weapons from Hizb-e-Islami members and other individuals and parties.
Read the full story at TOLOnews