224 Taliban killed, 278 criminals held in Herat raids

HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): As many as 234 Taliban have been killed and another 233 wounded in security forces’ operations during the past three months in weste Herat province, police said on Tuesday.

Talking to reporters here, Herat police chief Abdul Majid Rozi said 35 operations had been conducted during the past three months in Shindand, Guzara, Adraskan, Kushki Kohna, Rabat-i-Sangi and Herat City, the provincial capital.

The security forces also arrested 19 Taliban and seized more than 50 weapons during the offensive, he continued.

According to the police chief, 25 terrorist attacks have been thwarted by security forces during the past three months in Herat.

Besides the Taliban, 278 suspected criminals were also arrested over their involvement in terror, killing and cooperation with Taliban. Security officials suffered no casualties in these operations, he added.

Individuals carrying weapons had been told to end the exercise otherwise they would be introduced to the authorities conceed, he said.

Sherzad, a resident of Herat City, said “We will believe in police claims when individuals carrying knives and pistols on the streets get punished as they harass people.”

Atiqullah, another resident of Herat City, said criminals were often released soon after their arrest. “Criminals should be punished to make the society crime- free.”

Police in Herat issued fresh statistics on arrested criminals at a time when crime ratio is on the increase in the province.

nh/ma