By Charlotte Greenfield
(Reuters) – More than a thousand Afghan civilians have been killed in shelling and other violence since the departure of foreign forces and the Taliban seized power in 2021, according to a report by the UN mission. in Afghanistan published on Tuesday.
Between August 15, 2021 and May this year, 1,095 civilians were killed and 2,679 injured, according to the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), underscoring the security challenges even after the end of decades of war.
The majority of deaths – just over 700 – were caused by improvised explosive devices, including suicide attacks in public places such as mosques, educational centers and markets.
Although armed fighting has decreased significantly since the Taliban took power in August 2021 with the collapse of the NATO-backed army, security challenges remain, particularly from the Islamic State. The militant group was responsible for the majority of the attacks, according to UNAMA, which also noted that the fatality of attacks had escalated despite the decrease in violent incidents.
“The UNAMA figures highlight not only the continued civilian damage resulting from these attacks, but an increase in the lethality of suicide attacks since August 15, 2021, with fewer attacks causing greater numbers of casualties. civilian casualties,” the report said.
The Taliban have said they are focused on securing the country and have carried out several raids against Islamic State cells in recent months.
Just over 1,700 casualties, including injuries, have been attributed to bomb attacks claimed by Islamic State, according to UNAMA.
The Taliban-run Foreign Ministry, in a response to the UN, said Afghanistan had faced wartime security challenges for decades before its government, known as the Emirate Islamic, takes power and the situation improves.
“The security forces of the Islamic Emirate undertake to ensure the safety of citizens and take timely measures to uproot the havens of terrorists,” he said.
(Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Stephen Coates)