By: Suraya Raiszada
Following increased violence and surge in Taliban attacks, the group’s attack on the United Nations Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) office in western Herat has proved that the group has no commitment to international laws.
Taliban by carrying out such attacks has entered with its new phase of violence in the country, which can have dangerous consequences for the group. In the meantime, such crimes and attacks of the group will put presence of the international organizations and their operations at full risk.
On the other hand, such violation of human rights as irresponsibly killing of innocent civilians, war prisoners, kangaroo courts, whipping women, destruction of public infrastructures, explosion of public infrastructures and currently attack on the UNAMA office are considered as war crimes of the Taliban group.
International donor organizations particularly UN in Afghanistan are civil agencies focusing on peace efforts, enhancement of rights of the people of Afghanistan and delivering humanitarian assistance; therefore, attack on UN agencies can show that the group has no respect to any principle.
UN agencies have been present and operating in various fields in Afghanistan for the past 50 years. After the falling of the Taliban regime and formation of new interim government in 2001, the UN efforts increased with new mechanism to support the governance process.
In the past 20 years, in consideration to change of circumstances and possibility of presence of international organizations in the country the UN has focused its mission on supporting government institutions, rule of law, counter narcotics, human rights and humanitarian aids as the organization has had positive work in all the mentioned fields.
Besides, the UN agencies has played vital role in connection with coordination international efforts to support good governance, holding elections and capacity building of civil and military personnel of Afghanistan government in the past two decades.
It seems that role and work of the UN agencies in running peace process and solution of disputes is inevitable and can be positive and constructive.
We can say that international organizations particularly the United Nations are fulfilling their responsibilities as it has made continued efforts to resolve the current crisis in Afghanistan for the past 30 years. In current circumstance, the UN has repeatedly asked the Taliban group to reduce in violence and enter negotiation with Afghanistan government to end the ongoing war in the country.
Despites all efforts from all stakeholders and UN agencies in Afghanistan towards maintaining peace and stability in the country, the people of Afghanistan have not touched peace. Recent surge in Taliban attacks and increasing violence in the country have displaced thousands of Afghan families in various provinces of the country.
It is time that all allies of Afghanistan government and international organizations should exert continued pressures on the Taliban group and its supporters to reduce in violence and accept comprehensive ceasefire to end the ongoing war in the country.
Increasing unprecedentedly violence by the Taliban group, continued perpetration of war crimes and violation of humanitarian laws by the group have showed the group’s lack of commitment to international conventions and laws. Afghanistan government has asked the world countries and organizations to take legal action against the Taliban for lacking commitment to international laws.
