UN mission in Afghanistan finds children bear brunt of war

The carnage is the single deadliest assault in the country since 2001, the year the US invasion unleashed the Taliban insurgency, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission of Afghanistan. In a rare move, the Taliban joined the government in condemning the attack by Islamic State, a group it considers mostly “well-known robbers and kidnappers” with no connection to Afghanistan.

“Platitudes not backed by meaningful action ring hollow over time”, said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the United Nations’ top official in Afghanistan. An honest appraisal of the ground realities in Afghanistan leads one to conclude that there can’t be peace there until and unless Taliban, who are seen as a synonym for Pushtoons, are taken on board.

Ghani, earlier this month issued a similar statement, however, lauded Pakistan’s operation in the tribal areas but added Haqqani network and groups threatening Afghanistan were spared in these offensives.

Terming terrorism a common enemy for the two countries, the Prime Minister said Pakistan remained committed to deepen its cooperation with Afghanistan in fighting terrorism.

Since the withdrawal of global troops from Afghanistan began after 2011 and the official end of Nato’s combat mission in December 2014, the number of civilian casualties has risen year-on-year.

The report comes just days after one of the deadliest attacks in Kabul, which killed at least 80 people and injured more than 230 others, a lot of them civilians.

In the first six months of this year, 1,601 civilians were killed and 3,565 were injured, marking a four percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Total civilian casualties were up four per cent, compared to the first half of previous year, the report says.

A spokesman for the provincial governor Attaullah Khoghyani said that Emarati was recently appointed as the group’s military leader in Kot, reports Tolo News. There is considerable dispute over what portion of the civilians killed in combat are the fault of the government and how many a5re the fault of the insurgency.

Anti-government forces include Taliban as well as individuals and non-state organised armed groups taking a direct part in hostilities that includes LeT, Jaish-e-Muhammed, the Haqqani Network, Hezb-e-Islami, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Islamic Jihad Union, groups identified as “Daesh” (IS) and other militia and armed groups.

Yamamoto and Zeid said casualties only provide a snapshot of the suffering civilians have enduring in the ongoing conflict.

The report said that growing air strikes by Afghan forces also contributed to the rise in civilian casualties as new aircraft were deployed.

Victims are caught up in ground battles, suicide attacks or hit by Improved Explosive Devices (IEDs).