Islamic Terrorist Attacks Surge in Afghanistan
On Sunday, United Nations said that suicide attacks claimed by Islamic state in Afghanistan caused the number of civilian casualties to rise in the first half of the year.
The latest report of UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on civilian casualty deaths showed that deaths increased by 1 percent to 1,692, although injuries decreased by 5 percent to 3,430. Overall the number of civilian casualties was by down 3 percent.
This latest update overshadowed the three-day truce over the Eid al-Fitr holiday where Taliban fighters were seen mingling with security forces in Kabul and other cities.
“The brief ceasefire demonstrated that the fighting can be stopped and that Afghan civilians no longer need to bear the brunt of the war,” Tadamichi Yamamoto, the senior U.N. official in Afghanistan said in a statement.
Armed clashes between ground troops and militants, roadside bombs and suicide attacks caused a 22 percent rise in the number of civilian casualties in the same period last year.
The attacks which were linked to Taliban and Islamic State also known as Daesh, have become more complex and aggressive.
The Shi’ite shrines, government offices, aid groups, sports events and voter registration sites were not spared by militants resulting to the death of hundreds of civilians.
On Sunday, 7 people were killed and more than 15 were wounded due to a suicide attack which targeted government employees.
The Taliban refuted the report by calling it “one sided”. They accused UNAMA of coordinating with US authorities to push Anti-Taliban propaganda. The group also stated that they have been doing their best to avoid civilian casualties
There is great concern about violence escalating during polling day of Parliamentary elections which is happening in October.
The Taliban who continues to fight for the restoration of their version of strict Islamic law, have rejected President Ashraf Ghani’s offer of peace talks and strongly demands that foreign forces leave Afghanistan.
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