LASHKARGAH - As many as 40 high level delegations from central capital Kabul visited southern Helmand province this solar year to review security situation, but insecurity went from bad to worse, local residents said on Sunday.
The visits were mostly symbolic, they said, because members of the delegations only took group photos, made some promises and returned to the capital without doing anything.
The president, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the defense and interior ministers, the chief of army staff and other senior government officials had traveled to Helmand province this solar year.
Provincial council head, Haji Karim Attal, said the security situation in Helmand worsened despite visits by too many delegates from Kabul this year.
Highest level security threats existed on the outskirts of Lashkargah, the provincial capital, and the city could be threaten with fall in spring if the government ignored the situation, he said.
He said senior government officials who visited Helmand did not nothing but wasted time or performed personal tasks.
Atal did not explain what personal brought some officials to Helmand, but said 40 high level delegations had visited Helmand in the past eight months alone.
“Had the Afghan forces advanced two kilometers against Taliban rebels with each visit, now we would have advanced at least 80 kilometers,” Attal said.
Haji Navid Watanwal, head of Insaf Civil Society Group, said they were not satisfied with the government delegations.
“The war in Helmand is on personal interests because real Taliban could not resist that longer against the Afghan forces,” he said.
He claimed around 50 officials joined the government delegations only to get employed their own people in security organs.
“The interests of local and Kabul officials are shared, whenever they visit Helmand, they promise equipping of security forces but Taliban capture more areas after these officials return,” Watanwal added.
He said the delegations had only met security officials in secret and they never talked to tribal elders and ordinary people.
Lt. Col. Mohammad Rassoul Zazai, 215 Maiwand Military Corps spokesman in Helmand, said the security situation in the province had improved better with visits by the high level delegations.
The Taliban militants were planning major attacks in Helmand but they failed because Afghan security were equipped with more weapons with each visit of delegations, he said.
He said around 20 delegations had visited Helmand this year and they helped a lot in holding important meetings. “Security situation is comparably better now and militants are prevented from advancing,” he said.
A mechanic, Mahmod Jan, in Lashkargah city, said nothing had improved with visits of delegations. He said the officials just wasted money by traveling to the province.
He said local officials could be advised from Kabul to take decisive action for improving the situation.
Musa Kala and Nawzad districts were already under Taliban control but Nawa and Khanshin districts also collapsed after government delegations’ visits to Helmand.

Afghan forces currently control only centers of Marjah, Nadali and Garmser districts. The militants have advanced their sway to the first police district of Lashkargah city. (Pajhwok)