The UN mentioned a UN workplace in western Afghanistan got here underneath hearth on Friday and one in every of its guards was killed throughout fierce preventing within the area between Taliban and Afghan forces.
The clashes have been going down in Gujara district of Herat province, about 10 kilometers from the capital of Herat province. It was not instantly clear which aspect was answerable for the hearth on the UN workplace.
Fighting in Afghanistan intensifies because the final US and NATO troops full their withdrawal from the war-torn nation. In the previous months, the Taliban have captured dozens of districts and crossed a number of strategic borders.
UN Special Representative for Afghanistan Deborah Lyon known as the assault reprehensible and mentioned the UN was in touch with either side of the battle to learn the way and by whom the workplace got here underneath hearth.
“The perpetrators of this attack must be identified and held accountable,” she mentioned. “The United Nations is urgently seeking to establish a complete picture about the attack and is in contact with relevant parties for this purpose.”
Taliban spokesman Qari Yusuf Ahmadi issued a press release saying the UN workplace was caught within the crossfire, however “the office was secure, and they should have no worries”.
The chairman of Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission, Shahzad Akbar, tweeted that assaults towards the United Nations may very well be a warfare crime.
My coronary heart is burning studying the information. Thinking of all those that are presently dwelling underneath the shadow of concern in Afghanistan. Every household that may’t even plan for tomorrow. All the terrified children. What else has warfare given us moreover struggling, ache, uncertainty and dependence?
— Shaharzad Akbar (@ShaharzadAkbar) 30 July 2021
“Reading the news and my heart is burning,” she tweeted. “Thinking of everybody dwelling in concern in Afghanistan for the time being. Every household that may’t even plan for tomorrow. All the terrified children. What has warfare introduced us however distress, struggling, uncertainty and dependence? “
In Washington, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and State Department Deputy Spokesperson Jalina Porter condemned the lethal assault on the United Nations in Herat.
“Attacks against civilian UN personnel and facilities are prohibited under international law,” Sullivan mentioned. “We reiterate our call for an immediate reduction in violence in Afghanistan and for all regional actors to encourage the parties to return to negotiations without delay.”
For the previous 12 months, a resurgent Taliban has dominated almost half of Afghanistan. But because the announcement this spring that US and NATO forces would pull in another country solely, the Taliban have swept dozens of districts, captured extra land and even with neighboring nations. Also taking management of main border crossings.
In Herat, the rebels have crossed a serious border of Islamic artwork with Iran.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
