Herat, Afghanistan
Kabul/New York/Washington DC: A day after the deadly attack on the United Nations office by Taliban in Herat province, the Afghanistan government today called on the International Community and relevant international organizations to hold the Taliban accountable for their war crimes and non-compliance with international humanitarian law.
The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that the international community should exert necessary pressures on the Taliban to prevent their continued bloodshed and war crimes.
Condemning the Friday armed attack on the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), in which an Afghan police guard was killed, and others injured, the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while condemning the incident stated today that by carrying out such attacks, the Taliban had taken violence to a new phase, entailing dangerous consequences. It warned that the continuation of such crimes will seriously endanger the continuation of international organizations’ presence and their activities in Afghanistan.
“The unprecedented rise in violence and the continuous perpetuation of war crimes by the Taliban demonstrate the group’s non-compliance with the international laws and obligations,” the Afghan government stated and added:”The widespread violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, including arbitrary killing of civilians, murdering prisoners, extrajudicial killings, public lashing of women and destruction of infrastructures, and now the attack on the United Nations, which represents the international community, are part of war crimes that the Taliban are perpetrating.
In New York, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, while strongly condemning the armed attack, recalled that attacks against United Nations personnel and premises are prohibited under international law and may constitute war crimes. He further reiterated the United Nations commitment to support the Government and people of Afghanistan in their efforts to achieve peace and stability.
In Washington DC, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan called for an immediate reduction in violence in Afghanistan, and for all regional actors to encourage the parties to return to negotiations without delay so that the Afghan people can achieve a durable and just political settlement that brings the peace and security they deserve. “The United Nations in Afghanistan is a civilian entity focused on supporting peace efforts, promoting the rights of all Afghans and providing humanitarian and development assistance. Attacks against civilian UN personnel and facilities are prohibited under international law,” he said.
The UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) while expressing its gratitude to the Afghan Directorate of Protection Services officers who defended the compound of the UN Office in Herat from the attackers, stated that the attack targeting entrances with rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire of the clearly marked UN facility was carried out by anti-Government elements. The area around Herat where the compound is located witnessed fighting between the Taliban and Government forces.
The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of the UN Mission in the country, Deborah Lyons, while deploring the attack stressed that the perpetrators must be identified and brought to account. Lyons added that her first thoughts were with the family of the officer killed and she wished a speedy recovery to those injured.
Also, in a tweet, the UN Mission in the country said that it was concerned by escalating violence in and around Kandahar amidst ongoing Taliban attacks on the city. The UN Mission said that there were credible reports of scores of civilians killed and that it is working to establish facts on civilian harm.
The UN humanitarian workers in the country also warned of the alarming increase in civilian casualties and injuries, including women and children, in Kandahar City. In Kandahar, last week, about 1,800 internally displaced persons received assistance, such as food and relief items. In Kunar, urgent needs include food, water, shelter and health services. Scores of people have also died following severe flooding in the hard-to-reach eastern Kamdesh District. The Afghanistan Red Crescent Society, the only organization with access to Kamdesh, is sending a mobile health team and will provide temporary shelter.
Fighting has also been reported in the Nangahar Province and in new areas in the north-east province of Kunar, where 20,000 people were displaced.
An associate spokesperson for the UN Secretary General told reporters in New York that “We, along with our partners, are assessing needs in the regions”. He informed that the UN is negotiating access with a non-State armed group and will provide medical supplies, food and other relief items. “Afghan authorities will mobilize additional support from Kabul,” he said.
Humanitarian partners in Afghanistan need $1.3 billion to help almost 16 million people in 2021, but only 38 per cent of the required funding has been received to date.
To a specific question on whether the UN staff will still be there and remain safe since NATO and the USA are leaving the country, the associate spokesperson said that the United Nations has no intention of leaving Afghanistan. “Our Mission is still there. It’s still active. Regarding security, we have security in place, but beyond that, as I’m sure you can understand, we can’t provide any specific security details to you.”
The UN mission in Afghanistan is a political mission and not a peacekeeping mission, and the spokesperson said, “of course, we have continued to call for the protection of human rights of women. We’ve said countless times that the deterioration of the security condition is only worsening the plight of women and girls in the country. So, we will continue to speak out.”
He said the UN was using its voice to corral the Member States to take action. “For example, on the case in… on the situation in Afghanistan, recently, we had our Special Representative brief the Security Council in a bid to galvanize action by the part of the Member States to do more to help the people and prevent the security situation from worsening,” he said.
