Rights watchdog reports 79 killed and wounded in past week

The Afghan Human Rights Commission (AHRC) said on Monday that at least 79 civilians have been killed and injured in 12 separate incidents in Farah, Parwan, Nangarhar and Kandahar provinces in the past week.

The commission stated 39 civilians were killed and 40 others were injured.

“Among [those] killed are four women and eight children,” the commission said.

According to the watchdog, among the wounded civilians there are 17 children and four women.

The commission blames the Taliban and unknown armed groups for the casualties.

The Taliban has not yet however commented.

The commission says that IEDs, roadside mines and armed attacks are the main reasons for the casualties.

The AHRC also meanwhile continued to call for a ceasefire and for disputes to be resolved through negotiations aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace.

“War only leads to more killing and destruction and has no winner,” the commission said.

The annual report of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) shows that over 8,500 civilians in Afghanistan were killed and wounded due to war and violence in 2020.

Based on the AIHRC report, up to 3,000 Afghan civilians were killed and over 5,000 were wounded in war in 2020.

The report states that civilian casualties in Afghanistan dropped 21 percent in 2020 compared to 2019.