The United Nations Assistant Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in its recent civilian casualties report expressed deep concern over an escalation in civilian casualties, urging all parties to end the violence and start the intra-Afghan peace talks.
“Rising numbers of civilian casualties in Afghanistan, with a disregard for international law aimed at protecting civilians from harm, underscore the urgent need for parties to halt the fighting and to re-focus on starting intra-Afghan peace negotiations,” the statement read.
A preliminary data by the mission indicated a ramp up in civilian casualties by the Taliban and the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) in April of the ongoing year. It also expressed concerns over the civilian casualties in the May 2020.
According to the data provided by the UNAMA, a total of 208 civilian casualties were attributed to the armed Taliban, indicating a 25% increase in comparison to April 2019 and similarly as March 2020.
It further read that the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) were responsible for 172 civilian casualties, indicating a 38% increase compared to April 2019 while 37% increase as March 2020.
Last week was considered one of the deadliest weeks in the country in which gunmen stormed a maternity hospital in Kabul, and a suicide bomber targeted a mourning ceremony in the eastern province of Nangarhar, killing dozens of civilians and injuring hundreds more. It was then followed by two car bombings in Paktia and Ghazni provinces, leaving several killed and injured.
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“The United Nations is deeply concerned by both the increase in civilian harm and the striking deterioration of parties’ respect for international humanitarian law, demonstrated by the recent shocking attacks on healthcare facilities and threats to healthcare workers, failures to take all feasible precautions in conducting airstrikes, and the use of large amounts of explosives in civilian-populated areas,” the statement added.
Deborah Lyons, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, meanwhile, has called for “a halt to the fighting and for parties to respect humanitarian law that is there to protect civilians.”
“Parties have committed to finding a peaceful solution and should protect the lives of all Afghans and not jeopardize people’s hope for an end to the war,” said Lyons, who is also head of UNAMA. “Intra-Afghan peace negotiations need to start as soon as possible.”
The armed Taliban, although, issued a denial to claim responsibility for the recent heinous attacks in the capital Kabul and Nangarhar provinces, the Afghan government accused the group for providing opportunities for terrorism in the country.
Recently, the Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani ordered the Afghan forces to go on offensive against the Taliban.
President Ghani Orders Afghan Forces to Shift to Active Offensive Position
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