The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in a statement condemned in the strongest terms the alarming number of attacks deliberately targeting civilians in Afghanistan. 

“These heinous attacks have targeted civil servants, the judiciary, the media, health-care and humanitarian workers, including women in prominent positions, those who protect and promote human rights, and ethnic and religious minorities,” the UNSC said.

The UNSC also expressed its deep concern regarding the increase of these targeted attacks in the months following the start of the Afghanistan peace negotiations on September 12, 2020. 

The members of the UNSC called for an immediate end to these targeted attacks and stressed the urgent and imperative need to bring the perpetrators to justice. 

The organization recalled that all parties must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law in all circumstances, including those related to the protection of civilians. 

“They (members of the UNSC) underlined that deliberate attacks targeting civilians may constitute war crimes,” the statement read.

“The members of the Security Council recognized that a sustainable peace can be achieved only through a comprehensive and inclusive Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace process that aims at a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire, as well as an inclusive political settlement to end the conflict in Afghanistan,” the statement said.

The UNSC stressed the need for full, equal, and meaningful participation of women in this regard. 

The members of the Security Council strongly encouraged parties to the negotiations to pursue confidence-building measures, including reductions in violence, and to continue to engage in good faith.

The members of the Security Council also expressed their deep concerns about the threat posed by terrorism to Afghanistan and the region.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah welcomed the UNSC’s statement “unanimously condemning the targeted attacks against civilians in Afghanistan, calls for the acceleration of the peace talks, & an immediate end to violence.”

The statement comes as the targeted attacks against civilians, social activists, media workers, government employees, and members of the security forces have increased in recent months.