Afghan Foreign Ministry strongly condemns Taliban attack on UN office, calls it deplorable

Afghanistan's Foreign Affairs Ministry on July 31 denounced the armed attacks by the Taliban on United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan office in Herat province in Afghanistan. On July 30, the rebel militia launched an attack on the UN compound killing an Afghan security guard and wounding several other officers as incessant armed conflict with rocket grenades, and gunfire continued to rage between the Afghan national forces and the Taliban on the outskirts of the city, to the West.

After the UN compound became the Taliban’s next target, the Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan issued a strong response, calling the attack “deplorable.”

Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry stated, "By carrying out such attacks, the Taliban have taken violence to a new phase, entailing dangerous consequences. The continuation of such crimes will seriously endanger the continuation of international organizations’ presence and their activities in Afghanistan."

"Widespread violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, including the arbitrary killing of civilians, murdering prisoners, extrajudicial killings, public lashing of women and destruction of infrastructures, and now the attack on the United Nations, which represents the international community, are part of war crimes that the Taliban are perpetrating," statement further read.

Taliban has seized several key Afghani border areas and posts, launching a major offensive after the complete drawdown of the US-led coalition forces from the region since May, ending the 20-year cold war between war-torn Afghanistan and President Joe Biden-led State. 

"The unprecedented rise in violence and the continuous perpetuation of war crimes by the Taliban demonstrate the group's non-compliance with the international laws and obligations."

President Ashraf Ghani-led government has called on the International Community and relevant international organisations to hold the Taliban accountable for war crimes and explicit non-compliance or defiance of international humanitarian laws.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan calls on the international community to exert necessary pressures on the Taliban to prevent their continued bloodshed and war crimes," Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry stated.

Attacking UNAMA 'war crime' reminds international agency

The UN, meanwhile, reminded the group that attacking UN personnel and compounds are prohibited under international law, and it amounts to war crimes.

The United Nations in Afghanistan has been carrying out peace missions and providing humanitarian and development assistance to Afghan citizens, mainly women and children. The UN extended gratitude to the Afghan Directorate of Protection Services officers, who, they said, defended the compound from the Taliban perpetrators.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the attack that resulted in the killing of an Afghan security forces guard and injuries to others. He expressed his condolences to the bereaved family. He reiterated that the attacks against UN personnel and premises are prohibited under international law and may constitute war crimes.