The Afghanistan diaspora is raising its voice against the atrocities of Taliban. Afghans living in California took to the streets on Tuesday to protest against Taliban’s carnage.
The protest march was held in support of Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF), who have launched an offensive against the Taliban to retake districts captured by the insurgent group.
Taliban activities and resultant violence has increased in Afghanistan after the announcement of a pullback by American and NATO forces from the country.
The United Nations has warned that without a significant de-escalation in violence, Afghanistan is on course to witness the highest ever number of documented civilian casualties in a single year (2021) since the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) records began.
Civilian casualties in Afghanistan in the first half of 2021 reached record levels with over 1,659 people killed and 3,254 others wounded, according to UN estimates.
Former CIA chief David Petraeus has warned against “hasty withdrawal” of A,erican forces from Afghanistan. Speaking at an onlne conference on Tuesday, Petraeus said the move could plunge Afghanistan into “very violent civil war”.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, meanwhile, reiterated his support to the Afghan government in fighting Taliban. He spoke to President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday, after which Stoltenberg tweeted, “The security situation in Afghanistan remains deeply challenging, and requires a negotiated settlement. NATO will continue to support Afghanistan, including with funding; civilian presence; and out-of-country training.”
Speaking about the offensive against Taliban, ANDSF spokesperson General Ajaml Omar Shinwarai said on Tuesday that over 1520 insurgents were killed and more than 800 injured in a total of 154 military operations conducted over the last one week.
The Aghan defence operations included land operations, airstrikes, and artillery shells.
General Shinwarai also accused the Taliban of killing 14 civilians and injuring nearly 30 more during the same period, The Khaama Press reported.
___
(c) 2021 the Hindustan Times
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
