July 31, 2019
The latest carnage caused in Farah Province, Afghanistan, on Wednesday underscores the unending cycle of cold-blooded violence. With at least 32 killed and 17 injured, as an Afghan bus hit a bomb planted by Taliban; this is one of the worst terror attacks that continue to claim the lives as the US tries to strike a peace deal with the Afghan Taliban militia.
As talks between the Taliban and US officials to end the 18-year Afghan war enter an important stage, with US negotiators aiming to reach a settlement before September 01, UN has reported an alarming increase in the number of casualties caused by government and foreign forces in Afghanistan. According to UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan’s (UNAMA) figures released yesterday, at least 3,812 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded in the first half of 2019 in the war against militant groups.
Despite diplomatic efforts, the war rages on, forcing civilians to live under the constant threat of being targeted by militants or being caught up in ground fighting, or becoming inadvertent victims of air strikes by Afghan government and foreign forces. UNAMA said in its latest report ground raids and clashes caused the most civilian casualties, followed by bomb attacks and air strikes. Taliban and Islamic State fighters killed 531 Afghans and wounded 1,437 between Jan. 1 and June 30. The hardline Islamist groups deliberately targeted 985 civilians, including government officials, tribal elders, aid workers, and religious scholars, UNAMA said in its report.
It said pro-government forces killed 717 Afghans and wounded 680 in the six months to June 30, a 31% increase from the corresponding period in 2018. At least 144 women and 327 children were killed and more than 1,000 wounded across the country. Airstrikes caused 519 civilian casualties, 150 of whom were children.
“Parties to the conflict may give differing explanations for recent trends, each designed to justify their own military tactics,” UNAMA human rights Chief Richard Bennett said. “The fact remains that only a determined effort to avoid civilian harm, not just by abiding by international humanitarian law but also by reducing the intensity of the fighting, will decrease the suffering of civilian Afghans,” he said.
US and other NATO troops are stationed in Afghanistan on a mission to train, assist and advise Afghan forces and some members of US forces carry out counter-terrorism operations. Colonel Sonny Leggett, a spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan, rejected the methods and findings used by UNAMA, saying the collection of evidence by US forces was “more thorough, evidentiary and accurate”. Leggett, however, did not give any US military figures for civilian casualties but said US forces worked closely with Afghan security forces to prevent them. “We follow the highest standards of accuracy and accountability and always work to avoid harm to civilian non-combatants,” Leggett said.
The United States is trying to negotiate a deal under which foreign forces would pull out in return for security guarantees by the Taliban, including a pledge that the country will not become a safe haven for terror groups.
At the same time, Islamabad is also contributing its due share to harness peace in Afghanistan. Though, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, while addressing the media, stated that the responsibility to achieve peace in Afghanistan should not be thrust upon Pakistan entirely. For lasting peace, all stakeholders, regional countries in particular, should collaborate their peace efforts in helping Afghanistan to find a way out of this conflict. In addition, he told the media that Prime Minister Imran Khan will soon be meeting the Taliban and will urge them to talk to the Afghan government. He assured that Islamabad will exercise the leverage it has to the fullest as it is no other country but Pakistan that faces the brunt of the conflict and instability in its backyard.
