SHIBERGHAN - First Vice-President Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum on Monday said the Junbish and Jamiat parties should learn from their past disputes.
Tension between the two parties erupted after several portraits of Dostum, who leads the Junbish party, were brought down in Mazar-i-Sharif.
Junbish supporters blamed the portraits removal on supporters of Balkh governor Atta Mohammad Noor, who leads the Jamiat party.
About three weeks ago, supporters of the two parties entered an armed clash in northern Faryab province, leaving 10 people dead on both sides.
Supporters of the two groups had taken part in rival demonstrations in Balkh province.
Dostum told reporters in Shiberghan, the capital of northern Jawzjan province, on Monday that he was not in favour of controversies between the two political groups and that they should learn from their past disputes and clashes.
The VP said recently some misunderstanding between the Jamiat and Junbish parties had occurred and said he was not in favour of it.
“I respect commandant Massoud and Ustad Burhanuddin Rabbani and Rabbani has also named me as his son; we have to avoid disputes and learn from the past differences. The disputes destroyed our country’s huge cities and we shouldn’t repeat them again.”
He said if there was a misunderstanding between Jamiat and Junbish, it shouldn’t be linked to leadership of the parties because people of current era had awakened and they were not like they had been 15 years back.
Dostum also said a security operation led by him was launched on Sunday night in southeastern parts of Shiberghan to drive insurgents and clear the area from them.
He said Bayan Aghwar village of Shiberghan city, Almaghol Kohistanat village of Aqcha district were cleared of insurgents and their two hideouts were also destroyed as a result of the operation launched at about 3:00am last night.
The VP said at least 15 Taliban fighters were killed, seven others wounded and 16 more were detained along with weapons.
He said the Taliban two days ago attacked security forces on the Shiberghan-Sar-i-Pul highway, injuring one officer and setting ablaze a security forces vehicle on the road.
“I am not interested in conducting operations in such a warm weather and in the holy month of Ramadan but they (Taliban) left me with no choice rather than to attack them. The operation is being implemented as planned and our soldiers with high morale stormed hideouts of the insurgents.”
Security officials say the operation would continue for another three days in southern areas of Jawzjan province.
However, Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, claimed seven police were killed and another five wounded during the Dostum-led offensive.
He said only three fighters were killed and as many wounded and said the 16 detained persons were civilians not fighters. (Pajhwok)