2023-06-27 07:08:50
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — A significant number of civilians have been killed or injured in attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban came to power, despite a sharp decline in the death toll compared with years of war and insurgency, it said. United Nations on Tuesday.
According to a new report from the UN mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, between its seizure of power in mid-August 2021 and the end of May there were 3,774 civilian casualties, including 1,095 killed by violence in the country.
This contrasts with the 8,820 civilian victims, including 3,035 deaths, recorded in 2020 alone, according to a previous UN report.
The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, coinciding with the final weeks of the withdrawal of US and NATO troops following two decades of war.
Three-quarters of the attacks recorded since then have been caused by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in “crowded areas, including places of worship, schools and markets,” the UN report said. Among the deceased were 92 women and 287 children.
Most of the IED incidents were carried out by the regional branch of the extremist group Islamic State, called Islamic State in Khorasan Province, the document said.
The UN noted, however, that a “significant number” of those killed were due to attacks that were never claimed responsibility or that its mission might not attribute to any group, but did not specify how many victims they caused.
The report also expressed concern regarding “the lethality of suicide attacks” since the Taliban came to power, with fewer attacks leaving more civilian victims.
The attacks occurred as the country is suffering from a financial and economic crisis, the UN said. With the sharp decline in contributions from international donors since the change of government, victims have problems accessing “medical, financial and psychological support,” he said.
The UN agency demanded an immediate halt to the attacks and said it holds the Taliban government responsible for the safety of Afghans.
The Taliban claimed that their government seized control of the country when it was “on the verge of collapse” and that they managed to “rescue the country and the government from a crisis” through sound decision-making and good management.
In its response, the foreign ministry indicated that the situation had gradually improved since August 2021. “Security has been guaranteed throughout the country,” the statement said, adding that the Taliban considers the security of places of worship and shrines, including Shiites, as a priority.
Despite initial promises from a more moderate government, the Taliban cracked down following gaining control. Female education beyond primary school was banned and Afghan women were removed from public life and almost all jobs, including in NGOs and the UN.
The measures were reminiscent of his previous government, in the late 1990s, when they also applied a strict interpretation of Islamic or sharia law. Those edicts drew international criticism of the already isolated Taliban, whose government has not been officially recognized by the United Nations or the international community.
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