UN envoy says fear, bloodshed in Afghanistan amid US drawdown
\nTLTP
\nKABUL
\nAn explosion at a religious gathering in central Afghanistan killed at least 15 civilians and wounded 20 others on Friday, the country\u2019s interior ministry said, adding that children may be among the victims.
\nThose killed and wounded were attending a Quran recitation ceremony. Initial information suggested that explosives were placed in a rickshaw in a district of central Ghazni province, interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said.
\nMeanwhile, the UN\u2019s envoy to Afghanistan warned of worsening violence and an increasingly anxious population on Thursday following US President Donald Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw forces from the country.
\nDeborah Lyons, head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), described evermore roadside car bombs, mass civilian and child casualties and \u201cnew terrorist threats\u201d as the US was halving the size of its deployment.
\nHer comments came in a week that top US general Mark Milley held emergency talks with Taliban and Afghan officials in a bid to quell violence in Afghanistan and bolster a fragile peace process as Washington seeks to end its 19-year deployment.
\n\u201cThe sense and perception of violence and insecurity is higher now than ever,\u201d Ms Lyons told a virtual meeting of the UN Security Council.
\n\u201cThe ongoing security transition coupled with the emerging reality of international troop withdrawals have obviously added to the anxieties felt by the Afghan population.\u201d
\nTrump in November decided to slash troop levels in Afghanistan from 4,500 to 2,500 by January 15, leaving many questions unanswered about the future of the US military mission there after he leaves office the following week.
\nViolence in Afghanistan has surged in recent months even as the Taliban and Afghan government negotiators are meeting in Qatar to try to hammer out a peace deal that could put an end to decades of war.
\nImprovised explosive devices killed and maimed 60 per cent more civilians in October and November than in the same months in 2019, said Ms Lyons. Attacks on schools and deaths of children increased, she added.
\nThe number of assassinations has also risen, said Ms Lyons. The deputy governor of Kabul, Mahboobullah Mohebi, and his assistant were killed on Tuesday when a sticky bomb attached to his armoured vehicle detonated in the capital city.
\nAfter talks with Afghan and Taliban officials this week, Army Gen Milley said the Taliban had stepped up attacks on Afghan forces, particularly in Helmand and Kandahar, and against roadways and other infrastructure.
\nThe chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff met for about two hours with Taliban negotiators in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday and flew on Wednesday to Kabul to discuss the peace process with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
\n\u201cThe most important part of the discussions that I had with both the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan was the need for an immediate reduction in violence,\u201d Army Gen Milley said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UN envoy says fear, bloodshed in Afghanistan amid US drawdown TLTP KABUL An explosion at a religious gathering in central Afghanistan killed at least 15 civilians and wounded 20 others on Friday, the country\u2019s interior ministry said, adding that children may be among the victims. Those killed and wounded were attending a Quran recitation ceremony. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":162937,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-162965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n