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At least one security guard was killed in Afghanistan on Friday after the Taliban attacked the United Nations central compound in western Herat province.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said the attack was carried out by “anti-government elements” at the entrances to the complex.
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Taliban forces reportedly used rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire in their assault on the “clearly identified” UN compound.
A UN statement said it “is urgently seeking to establish a full picture of the attack and to that end is in contact with the parties concerned.”
Afghan government forces reportedly engaged with the Taliban in Friday’s attack, killing an Afghan police guard and injuring two other officers.
No UN personnel were injured.
“This attack on the United Nations is deplorable and we condemn it in the strongest terms,” said Deborah Lyons, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Afghanistan. “Our first thoughts are with the family of the slain officer and we wish the injured a speedy recovery.”
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International law prohibits attacks on UN personnel or its premises, which means Friday’s attack could constitute a war crime.
“The perpetrators of this attack must be identified and brought to justice,” Lyons said.
A Taliban spokesman said the compound was “not threatened” and claimed the attack could have been the result of “crossfire”.
“It is possible that the guards were injured in the crossfire due to the proximity of the office to the fighting,” Zabihullah Mujahid said. Twitter.
The Taliban made progress across Afghanistan in the weeks following the withdrawal of US troops at the end of the 20 Years War.
Despite continued air support from the United States, the insurgent group gained control of approximately half of Afghanistan’s 421 districts.
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken did not comment on Friday’s attack, but in a statement following the arrival of a group of former Afghan allies in the United States, he said the work of the administration in Afghanistan “endures”.
“The United States will continue to use the full force of its diplomatic, economic and development toolbox to support the Afghan people in their quest for a just and lasting peace and to preserve the gains of the past 20 years, in particular those made by women, girls and minorities, ”he said.
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