UNESCO calls for preservation of Afghanistan's cultural heritage after Taliban conquest

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on August 19 called for the preservation of Afghanistan's cultural heritage in its diversity. The UN agency is taking precautions to protect the country's historic assets from 'damage and looting' amid crises mounting in the war-ravaged nation since the Taliban took control and the legitimate Afghanistan government surrendered to the hardline terror outfit and fled to a foreign land.

The UNESCO in an official statement said that it has been "closely following the situation on the ground and is committed to exercising all possible efforts."

"Any damage or loss of cultural heritage will only have adverse consequences on the prospects for lasting peace and humanitarian relief for the people of Afghanistan," it said.

Taliban blows up Slain Hazara Leader's statue in Bamiyan after Afghanistan takeover

In a statement, UNESCO reminded of the "deliberate destruction" of the iconic Bamiyan Buddhas which is a world heritage site in Afghanistan's Bamiyan Valley, in 2001.

At the outset of the rapid unfolding of events and 20 years after the deliberate destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has called for the preservation of the cultural heritage of Afghanistan, the statement said. 

Shortly after taking control over much of the nation's provinces in the past weekend, the Taliban knocked down a statue of Shiite militia commander Abdul Ali Mazari. In history, Abdul confronted the Taliban terrorists during the country's civil war in the 1990s. 

Azoulay shared the UNESCO statement and tweeted, "We are calling for the preservation of #Afganisthan cultural heritage in its diversity, in full respect of international law, and for taking all necessary precautions to spare and protect cultural heritage from damage and looting."

The disturbing images of the destruction of Bamiyan Buddhas triggered in the public consciousness after the Taliban conquest. UNESCO further underscored the need for a safe environment for the ongoing work of the country's cultural and monumental heritage professionals and artists, who play a central role in Afghanistan's national cohesion and social fabric, the statement read.

"Afghanistan is home to a wide range of rich and diverse heritage, which is an integral part of Afghan history and identity, as well as of importance for humanity as a whole, that must be safeguarded," it added.

UNESCO steps up to protect Afghanistan's cultural heritage

This includes sites such as the Old City of Herat, the UNESCO world heritage sites of the Minaret and the archaeological remains of Jam and the cultural landscape and archaeological remains of the Bamiyan Valley, where the UNESCO has been working for several decades, as well as museums including the National Museum in Kabul, the world body said.

"It is crucial for the future of Afghanistan to safeguard and preserve these landmarks," the statement said.

The UNESCO early this year marked 20 years of the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas.

“The empty niches of the giant Buddhas in the Bamiyan Valley of Afghanistan are a perpetual reminder of our duty to protect cultural heritage, and what future generations stand to lose if we do not. Today, these niches are inscribed on the World Heritage List," it had said.

“The tragic destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan in March 2001, which was broadcast across the globe, led to a global recognition of the need to protect cultural heritage at risk," the UNESCO added.

Taliban's misleading statements after takeover

On August 17, in the first press conference after taking over the reins in Afghanistan, the Taliban had affirmed that it did not want to see the war-ravaged country as a 'battlefield' anymore. "Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan will not have any kind of animosity. We want to live peacefully and do not want any tussle with inside or outside forces," the extremist group said.

The Taliban militant forces sought to portray themselves as more moderate than when they had imposed brutality in the 1990s. As many Afghans remain sceptical and fear a resumption of the 'regressive' regime, the extremist Islam declared the state 'Islamic Emirates' soon after they seized control of major provinces in the backdrop of US and NATO troops' withdrawal that began on May 1. 

The Taliban took over the country subsequent to days of the incessant and violent capitulation of the Afghan legitimate regime.