December 21, 2017
UNAMA said in the first nine months of 2017 over 2,000 civilians were killed and more than 5,000 were wounded.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Tuesday said at the launch of Afghanistan’s Peace Process magazine in Kabul that the civilian casualty toll in Afghanistan this year has been catastrophic.
UNAMA’s political affairs chief Scott Smith said at the ceremony that in the first nine months of this year 2,640 civilians have been killed and 5,379 others have been wounded.
Smith said the death of thousands of people and the impact of war on children and families has been tragic.
According to Smith, every day that no peace agreement is reached, is another day of war in Afghanistan.
“Every day that the peace process is delayed means another day of war. And the implication of this for Afghan citizens is devastating. As you know UNAMA recorded 2,640 civilians killed so far in 2017 while another 5,379 were wounded. But even this tragic figure does not tell the full story,” Smith said.
Meanwhile the High Peace Council (HPC) deputy chairman Habiba Sarabi said there are people who do not want peace to come to Afghanistan as it would jeopardize their financial interests.
“HPC in a press conference called them (Taliban) to start negotiations, but still we have not received any specific comments in this regard,” said Sarabi.
The Afghanistan’s Peace Process magazine is printed in English and contains researched articles by Afghan women from in the country and abroad. The articles all focus on the peace process. The magazine is set to be translated into the local languages and will be distributed among university students.
“In the current situation where insecurity and civilian fatalities are increasing, focusing on the peace process has become vital and more important than before,” said Mariam Safi, the founder of the Organization for Policy Research and Development Studies.
This piece was originally published in Tolo News on December 19, 2017. Original link.
Disclaimer: Views expressed on this blog are not necessarily endorsed or supported by the Center for Research and Security Studies, Islamabad.
