KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in his new report, recorded 2,737 safety- and security-related incidents in Afghanistan between August 1 and October 31, marking a 14.7% increase compared with the same period last year.
The report, presented to the UN Security Council on Wednesday, highlighted attacks by armed anti-Taliban groups and cross-border clashes between the Taliban and Pakistani forces as major contributors to the rise in incidents.
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, Guterres noted that armed anti-Taliban groups did not significantly challenge Taliban control but carried out 41 attacks, including hand grenade assaults and shootings at checkpoints and convoys, of which 19 were verified. Attacks by ISKP decreased in number and scale, while the Taliban continued operations against the group, he added.
According to the report, several border incidents occurred between Afghanistan and Iran, Pakistan, and Tajikistan between August 1 and October 17. At least 50 civilians were killed and 453 others injured during a week-long border clash between the Taliban and Pakistan in October, mainly in Kabul and Spin Boldak.
Human rights violations against former government officials and members of Afghanistan’s former security forces continue, Guterres said. Since September, the UN has documented six extrajudicial killings, 24 arbitrary detentions, and six cases of torture and ill-treatment.
The report also noted the Taliban’s continued use of corporal punishment, with 215 cases recorded in the past three months, including 42 women, two girls, and one boy for offences including adultery, running away from home, homosexuality, alcohol consumption, and gambling.
Unexploded ordnance also remained a major threat, killing eight civilians—mostly children—and injuring 29 during the reporting period.
