The United Nations strongly condemns the deadly attack against the members of a non-profit organization HALO Trust, which has been involved in landmine clearing in Afghanistan, and is calling for an investigation into the incident, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Wednesday
UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th June, 2021) The United Nations strongly condemns the deadly attack against the members of a non-profit organization HALO Trust, which has been involved in landmine clearing in Afghanistan, and is calling for an investigation into the incident, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, the British-American charity that has been removing explosives in the country since 1988 said 10 of its employees were killed and 16 more were injured by an unidentified armed group while de-mining a camp in the Baghlan Province Tuesday night.
"We strongly condemn the heinous attack on the Halo Trust NGO that took place in the Baghlan-e-Markazi district of in northern Afghanistan," Dujarric said. "We further call on the full investigation to ensure that those responsible for this horrendous attack are held accountable and brought to justice."
Dujarric said the United Nations is committed to staying and delivering in Afghanistan that has seen a 140 percent increase in violence incidence against aid workers in 2020 compared to the year before.
Throughout 2021, the trend has continued, with 11 aid workers having been killed, 27 injured and 36 abducted from January to April, the spokesman pointed out.
Dujarric further urged the parties to the conflict in Afghanistan to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure in compliance with their obligations under international law.
The Islamic State (banned in Russia) had claimed responsibility for the attack, the SITE Intelligence Group that tracks the online activity of the terror group said.
