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UN: 93 Aid Workers Abducted in Afghanistan in 2016
The United Nations has warned of a growing threat to aid workers in Afghanistan where it says millions of people are in urgent need of life-saving assistance.
“I am deeply concerned that aid workers are being targeted, with 93 of our colleagues abducted since the beginning of this year,” said Stephen O’Brien, the U.N.’s emergency relief coordinator, in speaking with reporters in Kabul at the end of a visit to Afghanistan.
“All parties are obliged to uphold the principles of international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of civilians and aid workers,” he said, without giving further details or identifying the nationalities of the abductees.
More aid needed
O’Brien also called on the international community to urgently increase its support to around 1.1 million people who are expected to be displaced internally and cross borders by the end of the year.
O’Brien said the humanitarian community in Afghanistan urgently needs $150 million to respond to the “life-saving” needs for the next four months in the wake of the increase in numbers of new people on the move.
“The displaced families and communities are a mix of refugees returning from Pakistan and hundreds of thousands of people who have been forced from their homes this year due to the conflict in Afghanistan,” said O’Brien.
The U.N. says that more than 5,000 displaced Afghans are returning from Pakistan every day, adding to the challenges facing the humanitarian community.
Afghan refugees
Pakistan hosts around three million Afghan refugees, nearly half of them living there illegally, who are currently facing pressure from authorities to return to Afghanistan.
O’Brien said that alarming levels of malnutrition affect 2.7 million people in Afghanistan, including 1 million children under the age of 5. He urged governments, donors and humanitarian groups to do more to tackle the crisis to prevent more than 126,000 children from dying this year.
“Only 35 percent of children with severe acute malnutrition are being reached and of those, only 25 percent are actually cured,” he said.
The Taliban has extended its insurgent activities to more provinces in Afghanistan this year than at any point in time since it was ousted from power in 2001. The increase has prompted Afghan security forces to undertake major operations across the country.
VOA
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UNAMA reports civilian casualties from Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan
UNAMA urged all parties to end hostilities, protect civilians, and uphold international law principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution to prevent further civilian harm.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has confirmed credible reports of civilian casualties following overnight Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan on 21–22 February.
Airstrikes in Behsud and Khogyani districts of Nangarhar province, carried out between approximately 23:45 on 21 February and 00:15 on 22 February, have reportedly killed at least 13 civilians and injured seven others, including women and children.
Pakistani forces also struck Barmal and Urgun districts in Paktika province.
In Barmal’s Marghai area, an airstrike on 21 February around 23:15 hit a madrassa and partially damaged a nearby mosque.
In Urgun’s Dahna area, an airstrike at approximately 23:30 partially destroyed a vacant private residence. No civilian casualties have been reported from these strikes.
UNAMA urged all parties to end hostilities, protect civilians, and uphold international law principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution to prevent further civilian harm.
The Ministry of Education reported the tragic losses, highlighting the impact of strikes on civilians and students in the region.
Education Ministry spokesman Mansoor Ahmad Hamza also said that a student at a religious seminary was injured in Barmal district of Paktika province, another area affected by the Pakistani military attacks over the weekend.
Dozens of civilians have reportedly been killed or injured in the airstrikes, which Afghan authorities say targeted residential homes and community areas in both Nangarhar and Paktika provinces.
Local sources describe scenes of devastation, with families searching through rubble and emergency personnel rushing to rescue trapped individuals.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of National Defense condemned the strikes, saying they constitute a violation of Afghan sovereignty and have caused significant civilian harm.
Officials reiterated that Afghan territory must not be used for attacks against other countries and called for restraint and dialogue to prevent further escalation.
The strikes come amid ongoing tensions along the disputed Durand Line between Afghanistan and Pakistan, where security concerns and accusations of militancy have frequently strained relations between Kabul and Islamabad. Analysts note that repeated civilian casualties risk further inflaming regional tensions and complicating diplomatic efforts to reduce violence along the frontier.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has estimated that around 20,000 to 23,000 fighters from various international terrorist groups are present in Afghanistan, contributing to ongoing security and political challenges in the country.
The ministry noted that over half of these fighters are foreign nationals.
Among the larger groups, Daesh is believed to number around 3,000, the Tehreek‑e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) 5,000–7,000, and al Qaeda 400–1,500.
Smaller groups reportedly include the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU/Turkestan Islamic Party), and Jamaat Ansarullah.
According to the ministry, Daesh remains the only group actively hostile toward the Afghan authorities, though it reportedly lacks the capacity to seize territory, focusing instead on undermining public confidence.
Afghan security efforts over the past 18 months are credited with significantly reducing attacks attributed to Daesh.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has consistently maintained that it will not allow Afghan soil to be used against any other country and continues to deny the presence of armed groups operating freely within the country.
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