Residents in Khwaja Bahauddin district of northern Takhar province say that because of clashes between locals and Kochis on Thursday, eight people, including a woman, were injured.
The latest incident in the Mahajir Qashlaq area started at 4 p.m. on Thursday and continued for three hours, according to a community elder of the Mahajir Qishlaq region of the district, speaking to Zan Times on the condition of anonymity.
He added that these clashes started a week ago: three people were injured on September 11; four people were injured three days later, bringing the weekly total to 15.
The Kochis are Pashtun nomads granted with grazing rights in different parts of Afghanistan by the Pashtun monarchies. Every springtime, Kochis and flocks of animals move to central and northern parts of the country. This always leads to conflicts with sedentary communities, who are non-Pashtuns in central and northern parts of the country.
According to the local elder, nearly 30 Kochi families from the Waziristan regions of Pakistan have recently arrived to Khawaja Bahauddin Takhar district.
“They are supported by the Taliban and are equipped with light and heavy weapons,” he says, “but the local residents are defending their properties with sticks, shovels and picks.”
Another local resident confirmed the statements, adding that more than 700 Kochi families from Pakistan settle in their areas at night and attack local people during the day to force them out of their homes.
The Taliban have not commented on this matter.
With the Taliban back in power, land conflicts between Kochis and the sedentary population have intensified. The Taliban are accused of openly supporting Kochis against non-Pashtun villagers.
