UN calls for halt to war, start to intra-Afghan talks

KABUL (Pajhwok): The United Nations on Tuesday asked the warring sides to halt fighting and re-focus on starting intra-Afghan peace negotiations.

Civilian deaths by the Taliban (UNAMA) said in a new report.

The mission voiced concern at the levels of violence in the first half of May, including recent attacks claimed by Daesh, or so-called Islamic State (IS), insurgents.

The Taliban were blamed for 208 civilian casualties in April, an increase of 25 per cent in comparison to April 2019 and at similar levels as March 2020.

The UNAMA chief said: “Parties have committed to finding a peaceful solution and should protect the lives of all Afghans and not jeopardise people’s hope for an end to the war.”

Deborah Lyons, the secretary-general’s special representative for Afghanistan, added: “Intra-Afghan peace negotiations need to start as soon as possible."

The report referred to attacks on healthcare facilities and threats to healthcare workers, failures to take feasible precautions in conducting airstrikes and the use of large amounts of explosives in civilian-populated areas.

Since 1 April, UNAMA documented the abduction of 15 healthcare workers by the Taliban as well as a threat to medics and confiscation of medical supplies by the ANSF.

Major incidents documented by UNAMA so far in May include:

• The attack on a Kabul hospital on 12 May, targeting its maternity ward, which resulted in at least 24 civilians killed, almost all of whom were female patients, leaving many newborn babies motherless.

• An ISKP-claimed suicide attack at a funeral in Nangarhar on 12 May, which resulted in at least 19 civilians killed and many more injured.

• A Taliban-claimed suicide truck bomb attack on 14 May in Gardez, which injured at least 33 civilians.

• An ANSF airstrike in Balkh on 11 May, which killed nine civilians and injured 13 while they were being forced by the Taliban to destroy a road to block ANSF.

sa/mud