The Afghan conflict is costing 50 lives each day

topic:	Humans
located:	Afghanistan
editor:	Shadi Khan Saif

Clearly seeking an upper hand in the proposed peace talks, the warring sides in Afghanistan have unleashed havoc upon the war-weary civilian population with mounting armed assaults.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan documented in July alone over 1,500 civilian casualties i.e. at least 50 civilians killed or wounded on a daily basis amid rejuvenated yet fragile peace talks between the U.S and the Taliban. The UN has said that as peace efforts have intensified in recent weeks, so too has the conflict on the ground. UN findings showed that more than 1,500 civilians were killed and injured, the highest number of any month this year, and the highest number documented in a single month since May 2017.

Last week, in its mid-year report, UNAMAdocumented 3,812 civilian casualties (1,366 deaths and 2,446 injured) in the first half of 2019. Civilian deaths attributed to pro-government forces exceeded those caused by anti-government elements for the second quarter in succession, the report showed. According to the report, women and children continued to be disproportionately impacted by the armed conflict in Afghanistan. Up to 30 June 2019, the conflict caused 430 women casualties (144 deaths and 286 injured) and 1,207 casualties among children (327 deaths and 880 injured).

One can only and sadly wonder how these apparently power-greedy forces would face a mother, father, brother and sister who lost their loved ones in this blind and utterly useless war.

As a respected neutral entity, the UN has categorically said the main driver in July was a sharp rise in civilian casualties caused by Anti-Government Elements (AGEs), such as the Taliban and the so-called Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP).

On the face of it, one of them, the Taliban has been described as reconcilable and the ISKP as irreconcilable by the Afghan government and its allies. And, the ongoing talks with the Taliban are based on this principle. What seems evidently wrong with this perception is that this group seems to be utterly enjoying impunity for all the harm, death and destruction it continues to cause to the Afghan civilians.

With all due respect to the sincere and dignified efforts for peace, each and every life or property lost or damaged needs to be accounted for, and those responsible for it should face eventual justice before or after the proposed peace deal.

Call to Action

Defend the safety and human rights of Afghan women and children