News - Afghanistan

Three Afghan civilians were killed in a clash with a group of armed men, described as "illegal militia", in northern Parwan province on Monday, local officials said.

The incident happened after Afghan security forces launched a military operation in the province to clear the insurgents and armed groups from in the province, the 202 Shamshad police zone spokesperson told TOLOnews.

"During the operation, the illegal militia shot dead three civilians. One person has been arrested over the case," he said.

But residents of the province told TOLOnews that the security forces "have not yet arrested the illegal militia group."

The province, north of Kabul, has seen a rise in activities of armed groups, according to locals.

It comes as lawmakers raised concerns on Monday at the growth of armed groups in the country, including those which are pro-government, after a clash between residents and local militia in Kunduz turned deadly on Sunday.

Illegal armed groups may pose a major threat to the security of Afghanistan, speaker of the Parliament Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi said in Monday's sitting session.