Rights watchdog reports hundreds killed so far during Ramadan

The Independent Human Rights Commission (IHRC) says that during the month of Ramadan so far (April 13 to May 7), 130 security incidents were recorded resulting in 519 civilian casualties.

According to the commission, 160 people were killed and 351 others were injured in security incidents during Ramadan.

This does not however include the casualties in Saturday’s explosion in Dasht-e-Barchi in Kabul, which killed at least 63 people and wounded 187.

By adding the statistics of the victims of the explosions in the west of Kabul, the civilian death toll totals more than 220 with over 500 injured.

This comes after the Interior Ministry said, at least 243 civilians including women and children were killed and injured between April 15 and April 25 in Taliban attacks and IED explosions.

According to the ministry, in this time, the Taliban carried out six suicide bombings and detonated 62 landmines in which civilians including women and children were killed and financial losses were inflicted on the public and the government.

The MoI blamed the Taliban for the escalated violence, and in response, Afghan national defense and security forces killed key Taliban commanders and members in separate operations.

Fighting between Afghan security forces and the Taliban has also intensified in many part of the country in the past few weeks – with Helmand, Ghazni and Baghlan being the hardest hit.

Thousands of civilians have fled their homes around the Helmand capital of Lashkargar as fighting intensified around them last week.

On Wednesday, General Sami Sadat, commander of Maiwand Corps, said that the Taliban had carried out 89 attacks in different parts of Helmand province, and that all of the attacks were met by force from the Afghan security forces. He said the Taliban sustained heavy casualties.

“The morale of the Afghan forces is high and they have access to good equipment and with the available equipment they can defeat the Taliban,” Sadat added.