KABUL: The Kabul police chief who tendered his resignation after a string of attacks in the city will stay on in the role, officials said yesterday, as Afghanistan struggles to respond to rising militant unrest.
Zahir Zahir had been under pressure due to attacks in the capital targeting foreign guesthouses, embassy vehicles, US troops and a female member of parliament, as Nato ends its 13-war in Afghanistan.
Kabul has been hit by at least nine attacks in the last two weeks, including a South African father and his two teenage children were killed by the Taliban at their home on Saturday.
“Based on the request of high-ranking officials and in order to avoid disruption of security affairs, General Zahir was asked to continue his duties,” Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanakzai said. “His resignation was rejected and he continues his duties as the police chief of Kabul.”
On Sunday Stanakzai said that Interior Minister Omar Daudzai had accepted Zahir’s resignation, but the decision was reversed by last morning. Afghan army search base for militants four days after attack
Army searches for militants four days after attack
KANDAHAR: Afghan soldiers scoured a former Nato military base in the south of the country yesterday, searching for any remaining insurgents after four days of fighting inside the perimeter fence.
The Taliban launched a multiple suicide and gunfire attack on Thursday evening on Camp Bastion, now known as Shorabak, a major airfield that was handed over to Afghan control from foreign forces only a month ago.
Some attackers got into empty barracks inside the camp, and Afghan forces feared a rogue militant could still be holed up in a basement, said Omar Zwak, the governor’s spokesman for Helmand province.
AFP
