UN Secretary General calls for “immediate end” to Taliban offensive in Afghanistan

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, expressed this Friday his concern about the situation in Afghanistan, which, according to him, “is out of control”, he therefore insisted on the need to “Stop the offensive” and resume negotiations, while the Taliban leave a trail of death in their wake and the yoke on nearly twenty provincial capitals.

“Afghanistan is out of control”said Guterres, who considers the current situation to be “even” worse than that experienced on previous occasions. The country “is going through another chaotic and desperate chapter, an incredible tragedy for a people who have suffered for a long time”.

The official said that “Carrying out attacks against civilians is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and becomes a war crime.

“In the last month alone, more than a thousand people have been killed or injured by indiscriminate attacks on civilians, especially in the provinces of Helmand, Kandahar and Herat,” recalled the Secretary General of the UN, who also specified “at least 241,000” the number of displaced

“Humanitarian needs are increasing hour by hour. Hospitals are overwhelmed. Food and medical supplies are dwindling. Roads, bridges, schools, clinics and other critical infrastructure are destroyed “, he stressed.

“Now is the time to stop the offensive. Now is the time to start serious negotiations. Now is the time to avoid a protracted civil war or the isolation of AfghanistanGuterres said, responding to those who feel the international community’s abandonment to the Afghan people.

The moment before, the head of the United Nations pointed out that This escalation of violence particularly affects women and children and called on all parties to pay attention to the large number of casualties left by the conflict.

“I am deeply concerned at the first signs that the Taliban is imposing severe restrictions on human rights in areas under their control, especially women and journalists. It is particularly horrific and heartbreaking to see the hard-won rights of women and girls taken away. “, to complain.

He also remembered the “Moral and legal obligation” that all parties have in the defense and protection of civilians, since attacks against them constitute a violation of international law and if they do, those responsible will be held to account.

“The message from the international community It must be clear to those who take up arms that seizing power by military force is a lost proposition. This can only lead to a protracted civil war or the complete isolation of Afghanistan. I ask the Taliban to immediately stop the offensive, ”he demanded.

Afghan security forces have capitulated on several fronts. Soldiers, units and even entire divisions surrendered, which He gave the insurgents more vehicles and military parts to accelerate their already rapid conquest of Afghan territory.

In a few days, the Afghan government has lost control of most of the country and insurgents control almost half of the provincial capitals, most taken in just one week.

This Friday, the Taliban easily seized Firozkoh, capital of Ghor province, and Pul-i-Alam, capital of Logar province, just 50 km from Kabul. “The Taliban control … 100% (of the city) and there is no more fighting,” said a local official, Said Qaribullah Sadat.

A few hours earlier, the insurgents celebrated the fall of Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province, after having captured Kandahar, located 150 km to the east and Herat (west), respectively the second and third cities of Afghanistan.

If you take a card from Afghanistan, virtually all of the north, west and south of the country are already under Taliban control. Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif, the big city to the north, and Jalalabad, to the east, are the three big cities that the government continues to control.

In Herat, strategic to be close to Iran, a revealing image describes what is happening: Ismail Khan, nicknamed “the lion of Herat”, heavyweight in the region and one of the most important warriors against the Taliban, had to surrender to the insurgents.

The Taliban began their offensive in May, when US President Joe Biden confirmed that foreign troops would leave the country.20 years after the start of his intervention to oust the Taliban from power, who refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, head of al-Qaeda, after the September 11 attacks in the United States.

(With information from EuropaPress and AFP)

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