Security officials of eastern Logar province have said that despite making progress on the case of Governor Arsala Jamal's assassination, the area remains heavily threatened by insurgents that have reportedly set their sights on disrupting the Loya Jirga being held in Kabul this week.

Last month, Logar Governor Jamal was killed during an Eid prayer by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) hidden inside a mosque in the provincial capital, Pul-e-Alam.

According to Ishaq Zai, the acting Logar Police Chief who took over after his predecessor was dismissed following the assassination, several members of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and a number of civilians have been taken into custody as part of an ongoing investigation intoJamal's death.

Zai added on Thursday that insurgents, primarily of foreign nationalities, have begun ramping-up operations in the province in the lead up to this week's Loya Jirga in the capital, which will convene 2,500 leaders from around the country to deliberate over the Kabul-Washington Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA).

"Simultaneously with the arrival of the Loya Jirga, they are looking to expand their activities," Zai said.

He reported that among the insurgents that have been tracked, killed or detained in the province recently, a large number were Chechens, Pakistanis or from Gulf countries.

The Police Chief claimed the insurgents had altered their tactics as well, and have begun using women and children as pawns in their attacks.

"The insurgents use women and children as tools for their activities," he said without going into further detail.

The Taliban has been known to use pre-adolescent boys as curriers for suicide bombs, a practice that has received widespread condemnation amongst the Afghan public as well as international human rights advocacy groups. This fighting season saw a noticeable decline in cases of child suicide bombers.

According to Logar officials, two Pakistani women were recently arrested under suspicion of involvement with insurgents. But the women have maintained their innocence.

"We came here for tourism, and we wanted to get jobs here in case we like the area...we would come through legal documentation," one of the arrested women named Shahnaza Begum said.

Logar province is located south of Kabul and shares a border with Pakistan's tribal belt.