Over 1,000 Afghan civilians killed since Taliban takeover vs. 3035 deaths in 2020

Taliban fighters enjoy lunch inside an adobe house that is used as a makeshift checkpoint in Wardak province, Afghanistan, on June 22, 2023. (Photo by AP)

The United Nations has criticized the Taliban for the killing of over 1,000 civilian in Afghanistan since it rose to power in 2021, without mentioning its previous report showing far more civilians were killed during the US-led military occupation of the country.

According to the report, released on Tuesday by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), there have been 3,774 civilian casualties in Afghanistan, including 1,095 civilian deaths, as the result of violence and acts of terror between mid-August 2021, when the Taliban returned to power, and the end of May 2023.

That compares with 8,820 civilian casualties across Afghanistan, including 3,035 killed, just in 2020 -- when the invading US-led NATO troops were still in virtual control of the country's security --  as reported in earlier UN reports.

The report highlighted that three-quarters of the attacks since the Taliban seized power were with improvised explosive devices in “populated areas, including places of worship, schools and markets,” in which 92 women and 287 children were reported among those killed.

A UN press statement released after the report on Tuesday added that the figures point to a significant increase in civilian harm resulting from IED attacks on places of worship — mostly belonging to the minority Shia Muslims — compared to the three-year period prior to the Taliban takeover.

The Taliban took over power in Afghanistan in August 2021 following Washington peace talks with the militant group that eventually led to hasty withdrawal of US and NATO troops from the country after their 20-year destructive occupation of it in the name of "war on terror" and "nation building."

The statement also said that at least 95 people were killed in attacks on schools, educational facilities and other places that targeted the predominantly Shia Hazara community.

According to the report, although armed clashes has declined significantly since the Taliban came to power, security challenges remain in the country, with persisting acts of terror perpetrated by the Daesh (ISIS) terrorist group.

Daesh is seeking a foothold in the war-torn nation after the Takfiri terror group was defeated in Iraq and Syria. Some reports say the terrorist group was operating only in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar and Khost before the Taliban’s takeover, but it has now expanded its presence to other regions across the country.

However, the UNAMA stressed that the Taliban was responsible for the majority of attacks, adding that the deadliness of attacks had escalated despite fewer violent incidents.

“UNAMA’s figures highlight not only the ongoing civilian harm resulting from such attacks, but an increase in the lethality of suicide attacks since 15 August 2021, with a smaller number of attacks causing a greater number of civilian casualties,” said the report, noting that the attacks were carried out amid a nationwide financial and economic crisis.

No country has yet recognized the Taliban government and their rule over Afghanistan. Since their takeover, the Taliban have been struggling to contain a deepening economic crisis.

Afghanistan's heavily aid-dependent economy, mostly funded by international donors, has been in chaos since Western governments -- led by the US --suspended humanitarian aid and froze assets belonging to Afghanistan.

US-led NATO forces invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 following the suspicious 9/11 attacks, allegedly perpetrated by predominantly Saudi nationals.

According to official US figures, Washington spent $2.3 trillion in Afghanistan in a military occupation that led to the killing of 46,319 Afghan civilians -- considered a significant underestimation by independent organizations -- as well as the deaths of 70,000 Afghan military and police and some 53,000 militants.

Hundreds of thousands more have been reported injured and displaced during the 20-year occupation, which also resulted in the deaths of 2,324 US military personnel, 3,917 US contractors and 1,144 allied troops.

Elsewhere in its report, the UNAMA demanded that there should be an immediate halt to terrorist attacks across Afghanistan, adding that the de facto authority of the Taliban in Kabul is now responsible for the safety of Afghanistan's population.

In response to the UN report, the Taliban-run foreign ministry said in a statement that the situation had gradually improved after the group returned to power, claiming that "Security has been ensured across the country."

The statement also stressed that Taliban security forces had carried out multiple raids against Daesh cells and were focused on ensuring "timely action on uprooting the safe havens of the terrorists."