The Taliban have stepped up their campaign against the US-backed government since April.
The UN special envoy for Afghanistan today challenged the Taliban’s commitment to a political settlement, telling the UN Security Council that the war had entered a “deadly and most devastating phase” with more than 1,000 civilians killed in the latest. month, during the Taliban attack.
“An organization that was sincerely committed to a post-negotiation settlement would not risk so many civilian casualties because it would understand that the more demanding the reconciliation process, the more bloodshed there was,” said Deborah Lyons.
The Taliban have been stepping up their campaign against the US-backed government since April, as foreign forces complete their withdrawal after 20 years of war. The Taliban have taken over a provincial capital of Afghanistan and killed the head of the government intelligence service in Kabul today.
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“This is now a different kind of war, reminiscent of Syria, most recently, Sarajevo, in the recent past,” Lyons said.
“Attacking on urban areas is done deliberately to inflict enormous harm and cause massive civilian casualties. “However, the threat of large urban areas seems to be a strategic decision by the Taliban, who have accepted the possible massacre that will follow.”
Senior U.S. diplomat Jeffrey Deloredes has urged the Taliban to stop their offensive, pursue a political settlement and protect Afghanistan’s infrastructure and people.
” The Taliban must hear from the international community that we will not accept a military occupation of Afghanistan or a return to the Islamic Emirate of the Taliban,” he said.
For his part, Afghanistan’s ambassador to the UN, Gulam Isakzai, called on the Security Council to take action to “prevent a catastrophic situation”.
