Afghanistan records the largest number of women and children dead since 2009 |UN news

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported Monday that 1659 civilians died and 3254 were more injured during the first half of this year in that country, which represents an increase of 47% with respect to the same period of 2020.

In their report on civilian conflict protection in Afghanistan corresponding to the first semester of 2021, the mission indicates that women and children represented about half of the civil victims, with 46%, and specifies that 32% wereChildren: 468 dead and 1214 injured.14% were women: 219 killed and 508 injured.

These numbers are the highest that have been documented between women and children since 2009, when the records began.

UNAMAFoto de un bombardeo en el distrito de Bakwa, en Afganistán.

May, the worst month

In May, in which the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan began, there was a pronounced increase of the victims since the fighting intensified with the Taliban seeking to gain territory to the government forces.

The UN mission highlighted with concern the increase of civil victims in the May-June period, since it almost equalized the sum of the previous four months.

The special representative of the Secretary General for Afghanistan asked the Taliban and Afghan leaders to pay attention to the "chilling" trajectory of the conflict and its devastating impact on the civilian population.

Caveat

"The report is a clear warning that an unprecedented number of Afghan civilians can perish and be mutilated this year if the escalation of violence does not stop," said Deborah Lyons.

Until now, much of the May and June clashes occurred outside the cities, in areas with comparatively low population levels.However, UNAMA indicated that if violence does not decrease and advance towards urban areas, Afghanistan will register the largest number of civil victims that have been documented in a single year since 2009.

The United States and NATO have retired 95% of their troops in Afghanistan and will have repatriated all their strength for August 31.

In this context, Deborah Lyons urged the Taliban and Afghan leaders to redouble efforts at the negotiating table.

UNICEF/Marko KokicRetrato de dos hermanas que perdieron a su hermano en un ataque con un artefacto explosivo improvisado en su escuela de la provincia de Nangarhar, en Afganistán.

Intestine fight

"Stop the struggle of Afghanos against Afghas.They protect the Afghan people and give them the hope of a better future, ”said Lyons.

The Mission Report pointed out that this is the first time that it does not attribute any civil decline to international military forces and said that, apparently, the conflict has now become an exclusively civil struggle.

The "anti-government elements" were responsible for 64% of the victims, and 39% were attributed to the Taliban, almost 9% of Khorasany Isis-Provision of Korasany, and 16% to non-state actors.

The pro -government forces caused 25% of the civil casualties.23% were the responsibility of national security forces and 2% of the pro -government armed groups.

The mission added that 11% of civil victims were due to the crossfire of clashes and other incidents such as explosive artifacts without detonating and explosive remains of war.

The civil casualties caused by anti -government elements increased by 63% compared to the same period in 2020, while those due to the pro -government forces grew by 30%.

Main causes of victims

The report explains that the improvised explosive artifacts placed by the opposition forces were counted among the main causes of civil victims from January to June.Similarly, it mentions the land clashes between the parties, the selective murders of non -state groups and the Air Force Air Force attacks.

The UNAMA indicated that these types of attacks aimed at the civilian population, including government workers, human rights defenders, journalists, religious leaders and humanitarian workers.

UNAMA/Fardin WaeziUn mural conmemorativoen el centro de Kabul recuerda los periodistas muertos en Afganistán en 2016.

Deliberate attacks

With regard to deliberate attacks against children, the report points out that the most shocking was that of May 8 in front of the Sayed Ul-Shuda school in Kabul, which caused more than 300 civil victims, mostly students, 85 of 85They died.No group claimed the attack.

The UNAMA also underlined the resurgence of aggressions for sectarian reasons against the Chiita minority, which is mostly part of the Hazara ethnicity.Almost all of these attacks were claimed by ISIS.

Finally, the UN mission recalled that all belligerent parties must respect the human rights and dignity of people and not commit abuse of fundamental guarantees.