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Sharp rise in Afghan civilian casualties after start of peace talks: UN
There has been an increase in civilians killed and injured in Afghanistan following the start of peace talks in September, UNAMA said Tuesday.
According to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan’s (UNAMA) latest report, despite the rise in casualties since September the overall numbers for 2020 were down due to lower civilian casualty rates prior to the start of talks.
The Taliban meanwhile reacted to the report and said: ”We reject such incomplete reports based on incorrect information.”
The Afghanistan Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict Annual Report 2020 documents the “appalling level of harm inflicted on civilians and traces the disturbing spike in violence against them in the last quarter of the year”, the report read.
“2020 could have been the year of peace in Afghanistan. Instead, thousands of Afghan civilians perished due to the conflict,” said Deborah Lyons, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA.
“This important report has the overriding objective of providing the parties responsible with the facts, and recommendations, so they take immediate and concrete steps to protect civilians. I urge them not to squander a single day in taking the urgent steps to avoid more suffering.”
“Ultimately, the best way to protect civilians is to establish a humanitarian ceasefire,” said Lyons.
“Parties refusing to consider a ceasefire must recognize the devastating consequences of such a posture on the lives of Afghan civilians.”
For a seventh consecutive year, UNAMA documented more than 3,000 civilians killed in a single year, with Afghanistan remaining among the deadliest places in the world to be a civilian.
A distressing feature of the conflict remains the shocking and disproportionate impact on Afghan women and children. They make up 43 percent of all civilian casualties: child casualties numbered 2,619 (30 percent) and women 1,146 (13 percent).
More women were killed in the conflict in 2020 than any year since UNAMA began systematic documentation in 2009. In total 1,150 women and children were killed (390 women and 760 children).
The overall number of civilian casualties in 2020 of 8,820 (3,035 killed and 5,785 injured) fell below 10,000 for the first time since 2013 and was 15 percent down on 2019.
While the reduced numbers are welcome, documentation shows that the lower levels of overall harm were partially offset by increases from certain tactics, as well as from an uncharacteristic increase in civilian harm in the last quarter of the year, the report read.
Afghanistan Peace Negotiations, that began between representatives of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban in Qatar on 12 September, failed to alleviate the scale of civilian harm, a key indicator of violence levels. Instead, there was an escalation of violence with disturbing trends and consequences.
For the first time since it began systematic documentation in 2009, UNAMA documented an increase in the number of civilian casualties recorded in the fourth quarter compared with the third quarter. In addition, this period marked a 45 percent increase in civilian casualties in comparison to the same three months in 2019, especially from the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and targeted killings.
In October, civilian casualties were the highest of any month in 2020, and the following month UNAMA documented the highest number of civilian casualties of any November since records began in 2009.
Alongside the overall increase in violence, as the year ended, the population was confronted with a spate of targeted killings, referred to by many as “assassinations”, including civilians from the media, civil society, judiciary and the civilian government administration, as well as family members of combatants.
The United Nations Secretary-General and the Security Council have consistently called for a global humanitarian ceasefire as the best way to protect civilians. Without any end to the conflict, parties need to prevent and mitigate civilian casualties, including through adhering to the report’s recommendations.
The report also reminds the parties that attacks deliberately targeting civilians or civilian objects are serious violations of international humanitarian law that may amount to war crimes.
Anti-Government Elements (AGEs) in 2020 caused the majority of civilian casualties (62 percent), totalling 5,459 casualties – 1,885 killed and 3,574 injured with the Taliban responsible for most of these casualties (45 percent of the total) and Islamic State in the Levant-Khorasan Province (ISIL-KP) responsible for 8 percent.
Pro-Government Forces (PGF) caused a quarter of all civilian casualties, totalling 2,231 (841 killed and 1,390 injured), a decrease of 24 percent from 2019, with the Afghan national security forces causing most of these (22 percent of the total).
The overall reduction in civilian casualties in 2020 was due to factors such as fewer suicide attacks by AGEs causing large numbers of civilian casualties, especially in urban areas, and a stark drop in casualties attributed to international military forces.
While there was an increase in the number of civilian casualties that were unclaimed by any party and for which UNAMA could not attribute responsibility, the report finds that the Taliban caused 19 percent fewer civilian casualties than in 2019 and the ISIL-KP 45 percent fewer.
Strikingly, international military forces in 2020 were responsible for their lowest recorded number of civilian casualties since UNAMA began documentation in 2009. In 2020, this figure was 120 civilian casualties, down from 786 in 2019, a decrease of 85 percent.
A matter of profound concern remains the continuation of attacks deliberately targeting civilians by AGEs. This includes attacks targeting members of the judiciary, media and civil society, as well as religious minorities, especially the Shi’a Muslim population, most of whom also belong to the Hazara ethnic group, and the Sikh population.
Indiscriminate attacks, such as the use of pressure-plate IEDs by the Taliban also remain of concern. These devices are victim-activated and cannot be directed towards a specific target. Similarly, concerns remain about vehicle-borne IEDs that cause many civilian casualties due to the large explosive power used, even if they are not directed against civilians or civilian objects.
Also of grave concern is the use of explosive weapons in civilian populated areas, especially the use of indirect fire, such as artillery shells, mortars and rockets during ground engagements, but also the use of airstrikes and IEDs in civilian populated areas.
Ground engagements were the leading cause of civilian casualties in 2020 (36 percent), a slight increase compared with 2019. They were followed by AGE suicide and non-suicide attacks using improvised explosive devices (34.5 percent), a 30 percent decrease. AGE targeted killings (14 percent) increased by 45 percent; and PGF airstrikes (8 percent) were down 34 percent.
Through post incident interviews with victims and their family members, UNAMA identified that more needs to be done by parties in acknowledging and taking responsibility for the harm they caused. The majority of victims interviewed continued to require financial assistance, protection, medical care, and psychosocial support in the aftermath of an incident. Many knew little if anything about whether an investigation was being undertaken, and sought justice, information and/or an apology by those responsible.
“The ever-growing number of women, men, boys and girls affected by the conflict need to be remembered. They have lost loved ones, suffered injuries, have had to leave their homes and face economic and social difficulties. In too many cases they feel abandoned,” said Fiona Frazer, UNAMA’s Human Rights chief.
“They ask that their grief be recognised, their voices heard and an end to the conflict. 2020 was the year when Afghans dared to hope for peace, instead they found themselves facing more violence.”
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Hanafi urges Afghan traders in Tashkent to take part in Afghanistan’s growth
Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs Abdul Salam Hanafi has encouraged Afghan traders and investors based in Uzbekistan to take advantage of the investment opportunities in Afghanistan in order to support the nation’s growth and development, Arg said in a statement.
According to the statement, Hanafi, who is currently visiting the neighboring country, said this was especially applicable to mining, energy, agriculture, and manufacturing.
In a meeting that was held late Monday at the Afghan Embassy in Tashkent, Hanafi said Afghanistan is a shared home for all Afghans, where everyone has the right to live in peace and security.
Hanafi said that following the general amnesty decree, there are no security or political issues in Afghanistan, and the security situation is stable.
He also highlighted the available opportunities and facilities for trade and investment in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Afghan traders living in Tashkent said that officials of the Islamic Emirate always listen to their ideas, suggestions and problems and help solve them.
They did however ask for efforts to be made to ease certain processes relating to the trade of goods between the two countries.
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Mining minister tells Badakhshan authorities to stamp out illegal mining
Mullah Hidayatullah Badri, the acting minister of mines and petroleum, has called on local officials to help stop illegal mining and the smuggling of the country’s minerals.
During a trip to Badakhshan with Fasihuddin Fitrat, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces he met with the province’s deputy governor and called on him to help stop the scourge.
He said the ministry has drawn up comprehensive guidelines on “gold washing” and mining, adding that prospectors and miners can apply for licenses through the Badakhshan Mines and Petroleum Directorate and operate according to the law.
He also said illegal mining will not be tolerated and legal action will be taken against anyone who violates the law.
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Iran steps up efforts to tighten security along border with Afghanistan, Pakistan
Tehran’s plan to block the eastern border will eventually consist of a 300 km-long wall along with the use of advanced technology and precise military drills
Iran’s border security operations along its shared border with Afghanistan and Pakistan have been ramped up with 65 kms of the border wall already having been completed.
According to Iran media, Tehran’s plan to block the eastern border will eventually consist of a 300 km-long wall along with the use of advanced technology and precise military drills.
On November 2, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said Iran would complete construction of a border wall along its eastern frontiers by the end of September next year.
The first phase of the border-sealing initiative spans approximately 90 kilometers and commenced at the end of June.
The border blockade includes physical barriers, such as barbed wire and cement walls as well as smart technology that include radar systems.
Last month, Tehran Times reported that during a visit to the city of Mirjaveh, the primary crossing point between Iran and Pakistan,Momeni said the first phase of the border-sealing initiative spans approximately 90 kms and work commenced at the end of June.
He stated, "Based on our projections, this border-blocking project is expected to be completed in the first half of the next Iranian year."
Momeni stressed that an unsealed border allows deported illegal immigrants to easily return. He said: “The plan to secure the border will tackle this issue and improve regional security.”
Amir Na’mati, Deputy Commander of Iran’s Army Ground Forces, meanwhile gave more information this week and said significant progress will be made on the project by the end of the solar year (April).
Systems such as surveillance sensors, reconnaissance drones, and thermal cameras are set to be deployed, he said. Additionally, mobile assault battalions are tasked with maintaining constant border control.
Wanaen meanwhile reported that Iranian Army rapid reaction forces are currently conducting complex security drills which include tasks to identify terrorist gathering spots using advanced Mohajer-6 drones, destroying their command vehicles with highly explosive precision bombs (Qaem), and shelling enemy positions with artillery.
Amir Cheshk, Deputy Operations Commander of the Iranian Army Ground Forces, said: “Based on international agreements, any threatening gatherings that endanger the security of the Islamic Republic (Iran) will be met with a decisive response from the Army Ground Forces and Iran’s armed forces.”
In addition, special forces supported by Army Aviation helicopters, are dispatched to terrorist gathering locations and carry out high-precision clearance operations.
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