Strongmen are still defying the authority of the Afghan government in the capital, despite President Ashraf Ghani’s consistent pledges to crack down on criminals and illegal armed men, a number of Kabul residents said on Thursday amid a recent spike in crime.

“O Allah! Please grant us the power to bring those who call themselves strongmen, and who violate the rights of the people, to their knees,” Ghani said during a public speech in Kabul.

Meanwhile, officials in the Attorney General’s Office have said they have assessed over 1,000 criminal cases so far this year, and among them are some notorious strongmen and landgrabbers.

These cases include corruption, drug smuggling, criminal cases as well as traffic accidents, land grabbing and other similar offenses,” said Jamshid Rasuli, a spokesman for the Attorney General.

What do the people say?

Raz Mohammad is an Afghan citizen who was seriously wounded by armed men associated with a local commander in Kabul after Mohammad filed a petition to claim his land.

“A month ago, armed men overnight raided a health clinic in Kabul and opened fire all around,” said Ajab Gul, a resident in Kabul.

Murtaza, a Kabul resident, said: “Armed men are practicing extortion, they are bullying and disrupting the lives of the people.”

This comes a day after Ghani met elders from districts in Kabul and reiterated his previous stance to not tolerate the violation of the law, or bullying.

“In order to maintain justice, the government will take action against the landgrabbers,” said Latif Mahmoud, a deputy spokesman for President Ghani.