KABUL - The Ministry of Interior (MoI) on Friday said that cleanup offensive would be initiated in the restive Juram and Warduj districts of northeastern Badakhshan province to purge the area of anti-state elements.

MoI spokesman Sadiq Sadiqi said this after Interior Minister Noor-ul-Haq Ulomi visited the volatile Badakhshan province. Ulomi travelled to the province on the head of a high-level delegation to assess security situation of the area.

Taliban gunmen killed 30 Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers, with beheading eight personnel last week in Juram district of the province.

A number of civil society organizations and government institutions vehemently criticized the Taliban’s brutality and also questioned the ability of government and security organs.

“The interior minister had a detailed meeting with local people during his visit to the locality. He directed the security forces to flush out militants from the area,” Sadiqi added.

The interior minister, however, sought through support from local population and stressed residents of the area not to provide sanctuaries to insurgents.

According to Sadiqi, the security forces are well equipped in Warduj and Juram districts but he asked for close coordination among various security organs to ward-off any threat efficiently. (Pajhwok)