United Nations: The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has expressed concern over the violence against civilians in Afghanistan and called for an immediate end to these heinous attacks.
The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the alarming number of attacks deliberately targeting civilians in Afghanistan. These heinous attacks have targeted civil servants, the judiciary, the media, health-care and humanitarian workers, including women in prominent positions, those who protect and promote human rights, and ethnic and religious minorities, the UNSC said in a statement issued on Friday by Council President Linda Thomas-Greenfield (United States).
The Council also expressed condolences to the families of the victims and wished a quick recovery for those who were injured in these attacks.
The members of the Security Council expressed their deep concern regarding the increase of these targeted attacks in the months following the start of the Afghanistan peace negotiations on 12 September 2020.
The members of the Security Council recognized that a sustainable peace can be achieved only through a comprehensive and inclusive Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace process that aims at a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire, as well as an inclusive political settlement to end the conflict in Afghanistan. They stressed the need for full, equal and meaningful participation of women in this regard. The members of the Security Council strongly encouraged parties to the negotiations to pursue confidence-building measures, including reductions in violence, and to continue to engage in good faith, the statement added.
The members of the Security Council called for an immediate end to these targeted attacks and stressed the urgent and imperative need to bring the perpetrators to justice. The members of the Security Council recalled that all parties must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law in all circumstances, including those related to the protection of civilians. They underlined that deliberate attacks targeting civilians may constitute war crimes.
The members of the Security Council also expressed their deep concerns about the threat posed by terrorism to Afghanistan and the region, the statement concluded.
The US had signed a peace deal with the Taliban in February last year. The dialogue, which began in September, ended abruptly in January this year.
The peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government had resumed in the Middle Eastern State of Qatar last month.
However, the violence continuing in the war-torn country as the civilians are being targeted while the country security forces carrying out operations against militants.