KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – In his latest report on the situation in Afghanistan, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres documented 2,510 security incidents over the past three months, marking a 39.6% increase compared to the same period last year.
The report, made public on Thursday, December 12, highlights ISKP attacks, those by armed opposition groups, and border clashes between the Taliban and Pakistani forces as major contributors to security incidents in Afghanistan.
In March 2023, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution requesting the UN Secretary-General to submit a report every three months on the situation in Afghanistan and the implementation of the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
In his new report, covering the period from August to October, the UN chief documented six attacks carried out by ISKP, an affiliate of the Islamic State, up from four in the previous report. These attacks included two targeting Hazara-Shia communities in Kabul and Ghor provinces and one near the Taliban-run Attorney General’s Office in Kabul.
The report documented 81 attacks by armed anti-Taliban groups, up from 73 in the previous report. The National Resistance Front (NRF) carried out 56 attacks, the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) 18, and the People’s Sovereignty Front 1. Additionally, there was one alleged attack by the Afghanistan Liberation Movement on TTP members, while five attacks remain unidentified.
The UN chief’s report also documented 28 armed border clashes between the Taliban and Pakistani security forces, mainly in the eastern region, over the past three months, up from 16 recorded in the previous report.
According to the report, unexploded ordnance continued to cause civilian casualties, with children making up the majority of the victims. During the reporting period, these incidents claimed the lives of 16 children (15 boys and 1 girl) and left 35 others injured.
In his report, the UN Secretary-General stated that despite the declared general amnesty, human rights violations against former government officials continue to be reported. “UNAMA documented at least 5 killings, 14 arbitrary arrests and detentions, and 4 instances of torture and ill-treatment of former government officials and former Afghan National Defence and Security Forces members.”
The report also noted that the Taliban continued to implement judicial corporal punishment in public, mainly for crimes related to “illegal sexual acts” or adultery. “During the reporting period, at least 108 individuals were subjected to judicial corporal punishment, including 81 men, 26 women, and 1 girl.”
Regarding the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, the UN Chief noted that 23.7 million people in the country continue to face a critical humanitarian crisis, marked by severe food insecurity, malnutrition, widespread displacement, and contamination from explosive ordnance.
“From January to September, humanitarian partners reached 15.3 million people, 88% of the 17.3 million overall target,” he stated, adding that the humanitarian response plan remains significantly underfunded, with only 37.5% of the $3.06 billion required funded as of November.
