UN rights chief condemns Afghanistan abuses as Taliban advance continues

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The High Commissioner for Human Rights said successful a connection that determination was “fear and dread” crossed Afghanistan, which had driven radical to fly their homes.

Women person been flogged and killed successful areas overrun by the extremists, portion journalists and quality rights defenders had besides been attacked and killed, Ms. Bachelet said.

War crimes

Reports of violations that “could magnitude to warfare crimes and crimes against humanity” person emerged, including "deeply disturbing reports" of the summary execution of surrendering authorities troops. Since 9 July successful 4 cities unsocial – Lashkar Gah, Kandahar, Herat and Kunduz – astatine slightest 183 civilians person been killed and 1,181 injured, including children.

On Monday the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) besides reported a accelerated escalation of violations against children successful Afghanistan, pursuing the deaths of 27 children successful the state successful the past 72 hours, and 136 who were injured. But “the existent fig could beryllium overmuch higher,” arsenic “these are conscionable the civilian casualties we person managed to document,” Ms Bachelet said.

Even earlier the latest Taliban subject offensives connected municipality centres, the UN had documented a steep summation successful civilian casualties.

The militants, ousted successful the weeks aft September 11, 2001 attacks connected the United States, are present successful a presumption to beforehand from antithetic directions connected Mazar-i-Sharif, the biggest metropolis successful the north, according to latest quality reports.

To date, the Taliban has overrun 192 territory administrative centres successful Afghanistan, attacked provincial capitals and reportedly overrun astatine slightest six provincial capitals successful Nimroz, Jawzjan, Kunduz province, Takhar and Sar-e-Pul. 

‘Living successful fearfulness and dread”

In Geneva, spokesperson for High Commissioner Bachelet, Ravina Shamdasani, said that radical “rightly” feared that the Taliban would erase the quality rights gains of the past 2 decades, arsenic US and planetary forces completed their withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Repeating the High Commissioner’s condemnation of reported Taliban unit against communities, including women, rights defenders and journalists, she told correspondents that “women are already being killed and changeable for breaching rules,” whilst “some vigor stations person stopped broadcasting”.

In Balkh Province, “a women’s rights activistic was changeable and killed for breaching the rules”, added Ms. Shamdasani. OHCHR had besides been receiving reports of “summary executions, attacks against existent and erstwhile authorities officials and their household members, demolition of homes, schools and clinics and the laying of ample numbers of IEDs (improvised explosive devices),” successful areas already captured by the Taliban and successful contested areas, she said. 

Half the colonisation astatine risk

The caput of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) connected Tuesday, also voiced his concern about the interaction of the struggle connected displaced populations, and those connected the move, including returnees.

With implicit 5 cardinal radical already internally-displaced - much than 359,000 truthful acold this twelvemonth and grounds numbers of undocumented returnees - immoderate 680,000 Afghans person returned successful the archetypal 7 months of this year, according to the Border Monitoring Team of the Directorate of Refugees and Repatriation (DoRR).

Director General António Vitorino said that on with the state being “in the throes of a 3rd question of COVID-19 and a terrible drought,” astir fractional of Afghanistan’s colonisation are successful request of exigency alleviation assistance, with needs expected to rise.

Insisting connected unimpeded entree to unit and work providers, “all parties to the struggle and neighbouring countries” indispensable bash “everything they tin to guarantee that borderline crossing points stay open, and humanitarian workers are capable to entree susceptible populations successful the borderline areas, “ Mr Vitorino said. 

Families fleeing

Calls for restraint person besides travel from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) which urged the planetary assemblage to supply much extortion for civilians and captious infrastructure, specified arsenic hospitals, from onslaught and assistance forestall collateral harm caused by warring successful populated areas.

Since 1 August, the enactment has treated 4,042 patients wounded by weapons astatine 15 ICRC-supported wellness facilities, and astir 13,000 patients successful July alone, portion ICRC aesculapian services person been heavy strained owed to harm and a deficiency of staff.

“We are seeing homes destroyed, aesculapian unit and patients enactment astatine tremendous risk, and hospitals, energy and h2o infrastructure damaged”, Eloi Fillion, ICRC’s caput of delegation successful Afghanistan said successful a statement.

“The usage of explosive weaponry successful cities is having an indiscriminate interaction connected the population. Many families person nary enactment but to fly successful hunt of a safer place. This indispensable stop.”

According to the ICRC, energy is retired crossed respective contested cities and h2o proviso systems are hardly operational successful immoderate places. Many families are trying to permission but cannot find transport to flight oregon simply bash not person the fiscal means.

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