Hundreds of women Kabul's shelter go missing

New Delhi

Hundreds of women who fled their villages to escape war between the Afghan soldiers and the Taliban militants and had taken shelter at Shahr-e-Naw Park in Afghanistan capital Kabul, have gone missing, claimed Naved (name changed), an Afghan citizen, who lives in Delhi.

Tens of thousands of citizens from several provinces of Afghanistan, had fled to escape battles that have overwhelmed their towns and villages and had taken shelter at Shahr-e-Naw Park.

"I am saying this with whole responsibility that hundreds of women who had sheltered at Shahr-e-Naw Park are missing. Families are searching them for the last several days, but they could  not be found. This is the situation of Afghanistan is right now," he told IANS.

Naved said he left his country around eight years back, but he still has good sources of information in Afghanistan as he was associated with a private American security firm that used to involve local citizens to "pass the information".

He said that bombardment, gunfire and airstrikes was not new for the people of Afghanistan as they have become used to it since the early age of life, but they had not imagined that they will have to leave the country.

"The life of youth in Afghanistan is always in risk, especially young women. Taliban militants would barge into homes, and they will take away young women forcefully. This has been happening since last several years but the government kept silence," he added.

"Who should be held responsible if hundreds of young women got missing from Shahr-e-Naw park all of sudden?" he questioned.

He said that if today Taliban has captured entire Afghanistan and people are forced to leave the country, President Ashraf Ghani should be held the "most responsible" for it. "It has not come overnight. They captured one after another province and the Afghan government did nothing."

He said that at over 50,000 people, more than half of them children, have fled their homes in Kunduz alone.

Replying on what if a joint government is formed with Taliban, he said, "See, all youth if Afghanistan is well aware that their future is ruined. We had had hope after the US and India had started supporting for developments, but things are changed now. If our own president fled handing over the country to Taliban, then what more can we expect now. We are hopeless now. Our entire life will pass as refugee," he added.