KABUL, Jul 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) – The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), expressed its concern about escalating violence in and around Kandahar city, capital of the country’s southern Kandahar province, amidst ongoing Taliban attacks on the city, the mission said yesterday.
“More than 230 civilians injured, since Jul 16 (in Kandahar city). Numbers likely much higher. Credible reports of scores of civilians killed. Working to establish facts on civilian harm,” UNAMA wrote on twitter.
The UN mission called on the militants and government forces, to exercise maximum restraint and take all possible measures to protect civilians from further harm.
“The Mission warns of the grave consequences to civilians in Kandahar, if the fighting continues and intensifies in urban areas of the city,” the mission said.
Besides Kandahar city, several other provincial capitals in western and northern Afghan regions have also witnessed fierce clashes between Taliban militants and security forces in recent months, as Taliban besieged several cities and captured control of scores of suburban districts, since May 1, when the U.S. and NATO troops started to leave the country.
Afghan civilians continue to bear the brunt of armed conflicts, as more than 1,650 civilians were killed and over 3,250 others wounded, due to fighting, in the first six months of 2021, according to figures provided by UNAMA.– NNN-AGENCIES
