Despite a notable decrease in overall casualties compared to previous years of war and insurgency, the United Nations announced on Tuesday that it has documented a significant number of civilians killed and injured in attacks since the Taliban assumed control of Afghanistan.

According to a recent report by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), from mid-August 2021 to the end of May, there were 3,774 civilian casualties, including 1,095 fatalities, due to violence in the country.

In contrast, a previous UN report indicated 8,820 civilian casualties, with 3,035 deaths, in 2020 alone.

The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August 2021, coinciding with the final stages of the withdrawal of US and NATO troops after two decades of conflict, the Associated Press reported.

The UN report highlights that approximately three-quarters of the attacks since the Taliban takeover involved improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in populated areas such as places of worship, schools, and markets.

Among the casualties, 92 women and 287 children lost their lives.

The UN’s press statement accompanying the report underscores a significant rise in civilian harm resulting from IED attacks on places of worship, primarily affecting the Shiite Muslim minority, compared to the three-year period preceding the Taliban’s rise to power.

The statement also notes that at least 95 individuals were killed in attacks targeting schools, educational facilities, and other places primarily inhabited by the Hazara community, who are predominantly Shiite.

The majority of the IED attacks were attributed to the regional branch of the Islamic State group, known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, a Sunni militant group and a primary rival of the Taliban.

Written by staff