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UN says Afghan war has entered ‘deadlier, more destructive phase’
The U.N. special envoy for Afghanistan on Friday questioned the Taliban's commitment to a political settlement, telling the U.N. Security Council the war has entered a "deadlier and more destructive phase" with more than 1,000 civilians killed in the past month during a Taliban offensive.
"A party that was genuinely committed to a negotiated settlement would not risk so many civilian casualties, because it would understand that the process of reconciliation will be more challenging, the more blood is shed," Deborah Lyons said.
The Taliban have stepped up their campaign to defeat the U.S.-backed government since April as foreign forces complete their withdrawal after 20 years of war. The Taliban captured an Afghan provincial capital and assassinated the government's top media officer in Kabul on Friday.
"This is now a different kind of war, reminiscent of Syria, recently, or Sarajevo, in the not-so-distant past," Lyons said.
"To attack urban areas is to knowingly inflict enormous harm and cause massive civilian casualties. Nonetheless, the threatening of large urban areas appears to be a strategic decision by the Taliban, who have accepted the likely carnage that will ensue," she said.
Peace talks between the Afghan government and Taliban negotiators started last year in the Qatari capital of Doha, but have not made any substantive progress.
Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the council that the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan was of increasing concern and "with the withdrawal of foreign forces, the outlook looks grim.
"It is clear that there is no military solution to the Afghan situation, but in the current situation - given the absence of progress on the negotiation track - the prospects of Afghanistan slipping into full scale and protracted civil war, unfortunately, is a stark reality," he said.
Senior U.S. diplomat Jeffrey DeLaurentis urged the Taliban to halt their offensive, pursue a political settlement and protect Afghanistan's infrastructure and people.
"The Taliban must hear from the international community that we will not accept a military takeover of Afghanistan or a return of the Taliban's Islamic Emirate," he said.
Afghanistan's U.N. Ambassador Ghulam Isaczai urged the Security Council to act to "prevent a catastrophic situation."
"We're alarmed by reports and incidents of gross human rights violation by the Taliban and their foreign terrorist associates in almost half of our country and we are extremely concerned about the safety and security of people in cities under Taliban attacks," he said.
The Ministry of Energy and Water on Sunday signed an agreement for feasibility, geophysics and geotechnical studies of the Baghdara Dam in Kapisa province with Metallurgical Corp of China (MCC), the contractor of Mes Aynak copper mine.
The agreement was signed between Abdul Latif Mansoor, Acting Minister of Energy and Water, and Song Wen Bing, director of MCC.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mansoor highlighted the importance of the Baghdara Dam project in providing the electricity needed for the Mes Aynak project in Logar province and emphasized that the implementation of the Baghdara Dam project will be a milestone in joint cooperation between Afghanistan and China.
He also emphasized the expansion and development of cooperation between China and Afghanistan and assured the Chinese ambassador and MCC officials that the environment is favorable for investment in Afghanistan and the Islamic Emirate is committed to cooperate in this regard.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has said that three out of four Afghan families borrow money to buy food.
On average, a family’s debts are AFN 38,200 (nearly $560), according to the organization.
WFP has warned that as winter worsens in Afghanistan, millions face extreme hardship, with one in four families struggling to get enough food.
The organization said that for many families, WFP is their last hope but due to the funding crisis, most will not receive any food in the coming months.
“For the coming six months, WFP in Afghanistan urgently requires nearly US$680 million across all its activities, including to help the most vulnerable, food insecure families across the country survive the harsh Afghan winter,” it said.
WFP said that it has helped 10.5 million people across Afghanistan with food and cash to nourish children, boost the local economy and empower communities.
Turkish ambassador to Kabul Jang Onal on Saturday met with acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and said Ankara has a "positive view" on relations with Afghanistan, the ministry said in a statement.
In the meeting, Jang Onal expressed hope that more progress will be made in the diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The statement added that the two sides discussed Kabul and Ankara's political and economic relations.
Onal stated the acting minister of industry and commerce of Afghanistan is in Turkey and besides participating in the Halal Expo, Nooruddin Azizi also discussed with his Turkish counterpart about constructive bilateral trade.
It is worth mentioning that Azizi left for Türkiye late Tuesday to participate in the opening program of the annual Halal Expo International Trade Exhibition.
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