The Sunday Guardian

Us-allied Afghan force personnel hunted by Taliban

- CORRESPOND­ENT WASHINGTON

While thousands of Afghan security force members have managed to flee from Afghanista­n to other countries such as Iran and Uzbekistan as the Taliban seized the country but tens of thousands of Afghan soldiers and commandos are still on the run and being hunted by the terror group.

Matthew Rosenberg writing in The New York Times said that over the past few weeks columns of Afghan soldiers in armoured vehicles and pickup trucks sped through the desert to reach Iran and military pilots flew low and fast to the safety of Uzbekistan’s mountains. “Others managed to negotiate surrenders and went back to their homes -- and some kept their weapons and joined the winning side,” he said further in the NYT.

Tens of thousands of other Afghan soldiers, commandos and spies have been left behind. They are now on the run, hiding and hunted by the Taliban, he wrote .

“There’s no way out,” the media outlet reported qouting Farid, an Afghan commando. He added that he was hiding in the mountains of eastern Afghanista­n, trapped after the regular army units surrendere­d around him. “I am praying to be saved.”

Reports said that Taliban have been searching for people who they believe worked with and fought alongside United States and NATO forces.

The New York Times reported that said that there is no such data that how many Afghan soldiers and security officials are on the run. Dozens of Afghan pilots escaped to Uzbekistan, where 22 planes and 24 helicopter­s carrying nearly 600 men arrived on Sunday, according to Uzbek officials; an unknown number made it to Iran, former Afghan officials said.

A number of former government officials have disappeare­d in the country including a provincial Governor and police personnel, Tolo News reported citing the families of missing officials.

On contrary, Taliban spokesman had informed that the group has forgiven people who had worked in the military or civilian sector with the previous government.

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