Afghanistan | Non-Combatant casualties continue to increase

Defence Redefined

Published on 12/07/2020 at 12:40

Non-Combatants have once again been caught in the crossfire in Afghanistan, with many killed, wounded or abducted in at least four provinces, officials said on Saturday.

Six non-combatants were killed in the southeastern province of Ghazni when their minibus was hit by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), local elected officials said.

Another 12 people were injured in the incident, according to one of them, Halik Dand Akbari.

Officials have blamed the Taliban for the bombing, but the group has not yet responded.

In the southern province of Kandahar, gunmen stormed the home of a former police officer, killing his father and two relatives, said Bakhir Ahmadi, a spokesman for the governor.

The officer was able to escape. The motive for the attack is unclear, Ahmadi said.

In the southern province of Paktia, the Taliban have taken eight non-combatant hostages in a bid to force locals to cut ties with the central government, said Janat Khan Samkanai.

Among the hostages is the son of a governor, he added. Two civilians were injured during a mortar attack by the Taliban in the eastern province of Nangarhar, a spokesman for the governor said.

Javed Faisal, a spokesman for the Afghan Security Council, said on Twitter yesterday that 23 civilians had been killed and 45 others were wounded.

Meanwhile, four members of the security forces were killed during a Taliban ambush in Uruzgan province the past week, according to the province’s deputy governor, Mohammad Sadat Nasiri.

Six others were injured in an ambush in the provincial capital of Trincott, he said.

The Taliban announced that in the midst of the attacks they had released 17 of their captives in the western province of Ghor.

Hundreds of Afghan security forces and non-combatants have been killed in recent weeks as the Taliban continue their operations. The government had warned that the escalation of violence would call into question the continuation of the peace process with Islamist insurgents.

* File photo

Source: CNA, APA

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