People buy Mango from a vendor in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Sept. 17, 2019. Militants loyal to Taliban destroyed several power pylons in Afghanistan's northern Baghlan province over last weekend, leaving thousands of families in at least 12 provinces in darkness. (Photo by Sayed Mominzadah/Xinhua)
KABUL, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Militants loyal to Taliban destroyed several power pylons in Afghanistan's northern Baghlan province over the weekend, leaving thousands of families in at least 12 provinces in darkness.
Using improvised explosive devices, the militants bombed three power towers and cut the electricity supply in Dand-e-Shahabuddin and Saqalan localities of the province, 160 km north of Kabul, also leaving citizens in Kabul and many other provinces in darkness, Da Afghanistan Breshna Shirkat, the main Afghan power supply company, said in a statement on Sunday.
Laila, a Kabul resident, said she can't take care of her children in the darkness after the militants cut power of the city with a population of about 5 million.
"My husband works in the army and comes home every other week. I am alone in the house with my three children. I scare of darkness and my children too," she told Xinhua, adding she has to occasionally go to the neighbor's house as they have solar-produced power.
Da Afghanistan Breshna Shirkat said it has sent a technical team to reinstall the pylons and restore power in those provinces.
"Technical teams are sent to the site and that the pylons are currently under reconstruction," the company said in a statement.
However, local villagers told media that the technical teams were not able to reach the site as the area has been the battle ground for days and security forces failed to secure the area for repairing the destroyed power towers.
According to reports, currently some 12 provinces, including Kabul province have been left in darkness after the destruction of the power pylons.
Taliban militants have attacked Pul-e-Khumri, the capital city of Baghlan province for two weeks.
The public telecommunication and water supplies have also been affected by the power outage in some of the affected provinces.
Three years ago in 2016, Taliban destroyed an electricity pylon in Dand-e-Shahabuddin, leaving Kabul citizens in darkness for many days.
