MAIMANA – Taliban gunmen have established checkpoints on key highway inSherin Tagab district of northern Faryab province and are searchingvehicles to look for government employees.

Hamidullah, a civil government servant in Maimana, Faryab’s capital, toldPajhwok Afghan News that he wanted to travel to Mazar-i-Sharif, the capitalof Balkh province, for a medical test on Wednesday but on reaching KhwajaSabzposh district he was told the Taliban had created a checkpoint on thehighway and he turned back to Maimana.

He said despite having no political and military affiliation he feared theTaliban would take him hostage and thus returned to Maimana.

Farhad, a driver on the Maimana-Mazar-i-Sharif highway, said that he wasstopped by Taliban in Sherin Tagab district and the militants asked five ofhis passengers if they worked for the government. “We were allowed to goafter a long and strict search,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Mohammad Shah, police chief of Sherin Tagab district,confirmed the presence of the Taliban checkpoint and said the rebel grouphad created their checkpoints in Shash Tapa and Islam Qala areas of thedistrict. However, he did not provide further information about the issue.

The Taliban have been in control of a 50-kilometer portion of theMaimana-Mazar-i-Sharif highway in Sherin Tagab and Dawlat Abad districtsover the last seven months.

The Afghan forces have been conducting a clearing operation on the highwayfor the last two months and plan to establish security posts for thehighway’s protection. However, the militants are still in control of theroute.

Two days back, Faryab governor and 209thShahin Military Corps commandertold a news conference that around 50 Taliban rebels including 12commanders had been killed during an operation over the past one week inKhwaja Sabz Posh district.

They had said 28 villages were cleared and the operation was ongoing tofree the highway from Taliban control.