KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban has dismissed the United Nations Secretary-General’s latest report on Afghanistan, calling it “inaccurate and propagandistic.”
The quarterly report, released Thursday by UN chief António Guterres, recorded 2,299 security incidents across the country between February and April — a 3% increase from the same period last year.
In a statement Saturday, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated the report misrepresents the situation in Afghanistan. He claimed the country is “more secure than ever” under Taliban rule.
“We categorically reject this report and consider it to be founded on misinformation and driven by an agenda of propagandistic distortion,” Mujahid said.
“Afghanistan is currently more secure than ever, and the population continues to live peacefully under a governance system rooted in Sharia law.”
He accused the UN of deliberately and “persistently presenting a misrepresented image of Afghanistan.”
The UN report also pointed to a rise in criminal activity, including 175 cases of theft during the three-month period. It highlighted continued attacks by the Islamic State group, including a bombing in northern Kunduz province in February that killed 19 people — 15 Taliban fighters and four civilians.
In addition, the report documented 86 attacks carried out by anti-Taliban armed groups, mainly the National Resistance Front and the Afghanistan Freedom Front. It also reported several cross-border incidents involving Taliban fighters and Pakistani forces.
The UN said 22 security-related incidents affected its personnel during the reporting period.
The report is set to be presented to the UN Security Council on Monday. Roza Otunbayeva, head of the UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), is expected to brief members on the country’s recent developments.
This is not the first time the Taliban have rejected the UN’s findings. The group also dismissed the previous report, which highlighted internal divisions within the Taliban and a rise in security incidents, calling it “forgery and biased.”
