Over 1,000 civilians killed in IED blasts since Taliban takeover in Afghanistan: UN report

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) – Over 1,000 civilians were killed and nearly 2,700 others wounded in improvised explosive devise (IED) blasts in Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of the country in 2021, a UN report revealed on Tuesday.

According to the latest report by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), 3,774 civilian casualties were recorded during the last two years.

Among the casualties were 1,095 deaths and nearly 2,679 injuries, said the report which covered the period between Aug. 15, 2021 and May 30, 2023.

“Three quarters of these civilian casualties (2,814 civilian casualties: 701 killed, 2,113 wounded) were caused by indiscriminate IED attacks in populated areas, including places of worship, schools and markets,” it elaborated.

Overall civilian casualties have declined since the Taliban takeover, but attacks on places of worship and against the minority Hazara community has risen in the country, according to the report.

The UN figures also showed a significant increase in civilian harm in IED attacks on places of worship compared to the three-year period prior to the Taliban takeover.

“These attacks on civilians and civilian objects are reprehensible and must stop,” said Fiona Frazer, chief of UNAMA’s Human Rights Service.

“It is critical that the de facto authorities uphold their obligation to protect the right to life by carrying out independent, impartial, prompt, thorough, effective, credible, and transparent investigations into IED attacks affecting civilians,” Frazer added.

The report also revealed that majority of casualties resulted from attacks carried by the Daesh/ISIS terror group.

Since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, Daesh/ISIS has been attacking Taliban leaders and Afghan clerics as it has claimed responsibility for several attacks in the county, including many on mosques.