MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th July, 2021) The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) raised concerns on Friday about the killing of civilians in constant attacks of the Taliban (outlawed in Russia as a terrorist group) on the city of Kandahar.
"Deeply concerned by escalating violence in & around #Kandahar amidst ongoing Taliban attacks on city. More than 230 civilians injured since 16 July. Numbers likely much higher. Credible reports of scores of civilians killed. Working to establish facts on civilian harm," UNAMA said on Twitter.
According to the UN agency, civilian casualties in Afghanistan in the first half of 2021 increased sharply in killings and injuries since May, when international military forces began their withdrawal from the country. The agency documents 5,183 civilian casualties (1,659 killed and 3,524 injured), a 47% increase compared to 2020.
"UNAMA calls on parties to exercise maximum restraint & take all possible measures to protect civilians from further harm. The Mission warns of the grave consequences to civilians in #Kandahar if the fighting continues & intensifies in urban areas of the city," the UN agency warned in another tweet.
Discussions on Afghan reconciliation have been hosted by several international platforms, including in Doha, where peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban movement began in September 2020. In the latest two-day round of peace negotiations between the Afghan delegations in mid-July 2021, the sides agreed on facilitating a countrywide availability of COVID-19 vaccines and avoiding deaths among civilians. Civilian casualties are, however, still on the rise.
