"This time [the Taliban] could not hide their faces under the pretext of humanity or Sharia law. Social media has helped in unmasking the Taliban ..."
Tuesday, 29 September 2015 - 19:16 [local time]
TOLOnews
The former head of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) Amrullah Saleh on Tuesday told TOLOnews that Taliban militants are terrorizing Kunduz residents, have killed civilians and torched government offices and looted properties in the city.
He said the Taliban plans to leave behind a damaged city when government forces retake control.
Saleh said the Taliban insurgents have brutally killed three young men after accusing them of siding with the government. He said reports indicate that the insurgents killed the victims by driving over them in their vehicles.
He added that the militants also stormed a maternity hospital in the city and shot dead three nurses.
According to him, at least 200 female patients in the hospital were badly traumatized by the incident. He said among the patients are 18 of whom are in critical condition.
He also confirmed that the insurgents had freed 600 inmates from the Kuduz prison.
Saleh believes that the Taliban militants used the opportunity to seize the city on the back of there being very few security force members in the city at the time.
On Monday, reports emerged that the majority of Kunduz-based troops were deployed to districts in the province when the siege took place.
"Taliban's acts are inhuman ... This time they [the Taliban] could not hide their faces under the pretext of humanity or Sharia law. Social media has helped in unmasking the Taliban and it helped revealing the real face of them, which is brutality," Saleh said.
He said the insurgents had achieved their goals in Kunduz and will leave the province in order to take the loot they have robbed. But he added that they will also protect the individuals that helped them to capture the city.
He called on security officials not to become emotional after retaking the city; rather they should chase down the militants in their strongholds and hideouts.
"I have a message to Afghanistan leadership: I don't want to name anyone but there are a number of officials that should resign respectfully," he said adding that it is these officials who failed to safeguard the city and prevent infiltration.
Meanwhile, most Afghans clearly remember the Taliban's brutality during their rule in Kabul in the mid-1990s till 2001, saying that the Taliban oppress the Afghan people and that their goal is to eliminate the government of Afghanistan.
[More in a video interview]
[END REPORT]
See also Kunduz Residents Lose Millions As Taliban Go On Looting Spree.
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