UN: Over 1,000 Afghan civilians killed in blasts, violence since August 2021

Over a thousand Afghan civilians were killed in bombings and other violence since foreign forces left and the Taliban took over in 2021, according to a report by the UN’s mission to Afghanistan released on June 27.

Between August 15, 2021 and May this year 1,095 civilians were killed and 2,679 wounded, according to the UN Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA), underscoring the security challenges even after the end of decades of war, Al Arabiya reports.

The majority of deaths - just over 700 - were caused by improvised explosive devices including suicide bombings in
public places such as mosques, education centres and markets.

Though armed fighting has fallen dramatically since the Taliban took over in August 2021 as the NATO-backed military collapsed, security challenges remain, particularly from the ISIS group. The militant group was responsible for most attacks, according to the UNAMA, which also noted that the deadliness of attacks had escalated despite fewer violent incidents.

“UNAMA’s figures highlight not only the ongoing civilian harm resulting from such attacks but an increase in the lethality of suicide attacks since August 15, 2021, with a smaller number of attacks causing a greater number of civilian casualties,” the report said.

The Taliban have said they are focused on securing the country and have carried out several raids against ISIS cells in recent months.

Just over 1,700 casualties, including injuries, were attributed to explosive attacks claimed by ISIS, according to UNAMA.

The Taliban-run foreign affairs ministry in a response to the UN said that Afghanistan had faced security challenges during the war for decades before its government, known as the Islamic Emirate, took over and the situation had improved.

“Security forces of the Islamic Emirate oblige themselves to ensure the security of the citizens and take timely action on uprooting the safe havens of the terrorists,” it said.