Kabul (Afghanistan): A security guard was killed and several others were injured after the Taliban attacked the United Nations' office at Herat in Afghanistan. TOLO News reported that the UN mission in Afghanistan on Friday confirmed the attack on its office by "anti-government elements". Citing sources from Herat, TOLO News reported that the attack was conducted by the Taliban. The group so far has not commented on the attack.
"This attack against the United Nations is deplorable and we condemn it in the strongest terms," said Deborah Lyons, the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan. "Our first thoughts are with the family of the slain and we wish a speedy recovery to those injured." No UN personnel was hurt in the incident, in which entrances were attacked by rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire, UN said.
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"The perpetrators of this attack must be identified and brought to account," said Lyons. Attacks against civilian UN personnel and compounds are prohibited under international law, and may amount to war crimes, UN said. In the past few weeks, Afghanistan has witnessed a surge in violence as the Taliban has intensified its offensive against civilians and Afghan security forces with the complete pullback of foreign forces just a few weeks away. According to figures by the State Ministry for Peace Affairs, during this period 5,777 civilians were also killed including women and children, reported Tolo News.
Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Farhan Haq said that UN chief Antonio Guterres expressed his condolences to the bereaved family and wished the injured a speedy recovery. "The Secretary-General strongly condemns today's attack against a United Nations compound in Herat, Afghanistan, which resulted in the killing of an Afghan security forces guard and injuries to other officers. He expresses his condolences to the bereaved family and wishes those injured a speedy recovery," Haq said in a statement. The Secretary-General also recalled that attacks against UN personnel and premises are prohibited under international law and may constitute war crimes, the spokesperson said.
The United States also condemned the attack on the United Nations compound. It reiterated its call for an immediate reduction in violence in Afghanistan and stressed for negotiations without delay so that the people of the war-torn country can peacefully. "We reiterate our call for an immediate reduction in violence in Afghanistan, and for all regional actors to encourage the parties to return to negotiations without delay so that the Afghan people can achieve a durable and just political settlement that brings peace and security they deserve," the US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in a statement.
(ANI)
