In Afghanistan, the Taliban has continued to kill civilians and senior officials as it advances across the country, capturing major cities with an eye on Kabul. Civilians are being killed and tortured at a time when the UN has warned that a Taliban offensive on the capital would have a “catastrophic impact on civilians.”
A Taliban mortar strike in Khost province killed two children and injured four others, while Abdul Matin Atayee, a Ghazni-based judge, was killed in an ambush on Wednesday. According to multiple reports, the Taliban has taken over several homes in Herat and is using civilians as human shields against Afghan security forces. The gang also plunders.
Several videos and photos circulated on social media show Taliban fighters abusing and shooting civilians, including children, in Helmand and Herat provinces. A Taliban fighter is seen shooting a young man on a motorcycle in one of the videos shared on Twitter. “The Taliban shoots a man riding his motorcycle and going about his business, but his only crime was to display the Afghanistan flag in front of his motorcycle. What a deranged and depraved bunch of people they are. Pakistan emphatically backs them “claimed the user.
In another tweet, the user claimed that the Taliban entered a home and started “lynching” its women after they refused to get married to the group’s fighters. “This is what Taliban are doing in areas under their control. Where is Human Rights Watch commission? The UN? The EU and the world?” the user asked.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians have fled their homes amid fierce fighting between the Taliban and Afghan forces, as international envoys to the Qatar talks called for a “immediate” start to the peace process and a halt to city attacks. A Taliban spokesman told Al Jazeera, “We will not close the door to the political track.”
Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) said it was debating a draught statement condemning Taliban attacks, threatening sanctions, and affirming Afghanistan’s non-recognition of an Islamic Emirate.
