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UNAMA Human Rights Special Report on Twin Bombings at Kabul Demonstration

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(Last Updated On: October 24, 2022)

un_1200_logo_213The fundamental human rights of all Afghans must be respected, including the rights of religious and ethnic communities, said UNAMA in a Human Rights special report released today on the 23 July 2016 attack in Kabul that killed 85 civilians and injured more than four hundred.

The report, entitled “Attack on a Peaceful Demonstration in Kabul, 23 July 2016,” reviews the challenging context of the demonstration, the planning and preparedness of Afghan Security Forces, their behavior during the demonstration and immediate response to the attack and its aftermath. It raises, where relevant, human rights concerns for the Afghan authorities. The report also discusses the risk mitigation measures that were taken by the Afghan Security Forces and demonstration organizers. It is not intended to replace the Government’s own criminal investigation into the incident.

A protest body known as the ‘Enlightening Movement’ organized a large-scale peaceful demonstration in Kabul on 23 July, at the end of which two suicide bombers detonated their explosives’ belts against the demonstrators, the second one misfired and the attacker was shot by Afghan Security Forces. Almost all of the casualties were male and from the Hazara community which is predominantly Shia Muslim.

The report concludes not only that the 23 July attack deliberately targeted civilians with the apparent aim of spreading terror amongst the civilian population but also was a serious violation of international humanitarian law, which may amount to a war crime. The attack was the deadliest single civilian casualty incident in Afghanistan since UNAMA started its civilian casualties documentation in 2009.

The report notes that the attack appears, disturbingly, to have deliberately targeted persons belonging to a specific ethnic and religious community. Daesh, also known as Islamic State, claimed responsibility for the attack, employing language that advocated religious hatred and violence. The attack also had a serious negative impact on the demonstrators’ rights to freedom of opinion and expression, as well as peaceful assembly.

The release of the report comes at a time of mounting concern at an emerging pattern of sectarian violence attributed to Daesh. On 11 and 12 October, two separate attacks against Shia congregations commemorating Ashura in Kabul and in the northern province of Balkh killed at least 35 civilians and injured more than 100. Daesh issued an online statement claiming responsibility for the October attack in Kabul using language similar to that used in the claim for the 23 July attack.

UNAMA offers recommendations in its report to promote respect for the fundamental human rights of all Afghans, including the rights of religious and ethnic communities, as well as the need for the completion and implement of a strategy to prevent violent extremism.

The Mission reiterates that international humanitarian law prohibits deliberate attacks against civilians and civilian property, including places of worship.

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Contract worth $53 million signed for construction of last section of Khaf–Herat railway

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

A contract worth $53 million was signed Thursday for the construction of the last section of Khaf-Herat railway that connects Afghanistan with Iran.

The contract was signed between Afghanistan Railway Authority and Gamma Group in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, his office said in a statement.

The segment is 47-kilometer long, stretching from Rabat Parian to Herat International Airport and the Industrial Town, according to the statement.

It added that completion and standard operational readiness are expected within approximately two years.

“Upon its completion, this segment will integrate the Khaf-Herat regional connectivity project with Iran’s significant seaports and facilitate access to Europe via the Turkish railway network,” the statement said.

“Furthermore, traversing Afghan territory, it will bolster commercial exchanges between Central and South Asia. Notably, this project’s realization will enable the expansion of railway networks into Farah, Nimruz, Helmand, and Kandahar provinces,” it added.

Gamma operates across Europe and Asia in multiple sectors including construction, renewable energy, power transmission, mining, railways among others.

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US urges IEA to fulfill counter-terrorism commitments

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

The US State Department said on Thursday that Washington is committed to ensuring that Afghanistan can never again be a launching pad for terrorism.

“We remain committed to ensuring that Afghanistan can never again be a launching pad for terrorism, and we continue to push the Taliban (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) to fulfill all of their counterterrorism commitments to the international community,” the department’s spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a news briefing in Washington.

He reiterated that the United States had clearly communicated to the IEA that it’s their responsibility to ensure that “they give no safe haven to terrorists, whether it be Al Qaeda or ISIS-K or any other terrorist organization”.

Miller also reassured US allies that Washington was closely watching the developments in Afghanistan and was ready to deal with any threat emerging from the region.

“We remain vigilant against the evolving threat of these terrorist groups, and our global coalition to defeat ISIS and the C5+1 help intensify our efforts to monitor terrorist threats from the region and prevent their ability to raise funds, travel, and spread propaganda,” he said.

C5+1 refers to a diplomatic platform involving the five Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgy­zstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) and the United States. It serves as a forum for discussing and addressing regional issues such as security, economic development, and cooperation.

“The United States remains vigilant against the evolving threat posed by terrorist groups, including ISIS-K, and has maintained an unwavering focus on terrorism since President Joe Biden took office three years ago,” Miller said.

The US, he said, was “working both unilaterally and with its partners to successfully disrupt threats across the globe and degrade ISIS”.

“We will continue to work to hold ISIS accountable for its actions and to prevent terrorist attacks against the United States and other Western countries,” Miller said.

This comes as IEA has repeatedly said that it is committed to not allowing anyone to use Afghanistan soil against any other country.

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IEA condemns Israel for confiscating 800 hectares of land in West Bank’s Jordan Valley

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) strongly condemned on Thursday Israel’s decision to seize 800 hectares of land in the occupied West Bank’s Jordan Valley region.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said that the recent actions by “the Zionist regime demonstrate that it does not to adhere to international laws, especially international humanitarian law.”

“Continuation of such unilateral actions and ignoring the rights of Palestinian people will further deteriorate the situation,” the statement said.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan expects international actors, particularly influential regional Muslim countries to fulfill their legitimate, human and moral responsibilities in supporting the oppressed people of Palestine and prevent the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied territories,” it added.

Israeli media have reported that Israel seized 800 hectares of land in the Jordan Valley region of the occupied West Bank, claiming it as “state land.”

It is reported the seized land could be used for the construction of illegal Jewish settlements.

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