Kabul: Nearly 400 Afghan civilians have been killed and over 500 others received injuries in different act of violence carried out by the Taliban group in the past few weeks, security official said on Saturday.

Civilian casualties surged after the Taliban fighters had intensified attacks in different provinces cross Afghanistan, ministry of interior said.

Ministry’s spokesman Tariq Arian in a press conference said that 387 civilians were “martyred” and 590 others were wounded in the past over one month in different provinces.

Planting roadside mines and IEDs by the Taliban were one of the main factors behind civilian casualties.

According to him beside mine and IEDs blasts, the Taliban had also conducted number of suicide attacks as well as fired mortars that caused civilian casualties. He termed increasing of violence by the Taliban group as an act of crime against all Islamic teachings and humanitarian values. The Taliban also had kidnapped 200 civilians in different areas throughout the country, he informed.

At meantime, the Afghan security forces during joint counter attack and crackdown in the frame of active defense posture had succeeded to incur 1,400 casualties to the Taliban militants, he asserted.

Mr. Arian also confirmed casualties among Afghan security forces but did not provide further details.

On the other hand, the Afghan security forces arrested a Tajikistani national who is a key member of Jamiat-e-Ansarullah terrorist network of Tajikistan with his two comrades in northern Badakhshan province, he said.

The arrested member of terrorist network has been identified as Safiullah, who had played an active role in conflicts in different districts of Kunduz province.  

The Taliban group has intensified violence, while both sides (the government of Afghanistan and Taliban group) are engaged in the process of prisoners swap. In this stage the Afghan government often had called on Taliban to agree for ceasefire to pave the ground for intra-Afghan talks to lead to the peace process and also to fight the covid-19 pandemic across the country.

http://www.afghanistantimes.af/nearly-400-civilians-killed-as-taliban-intensified-attacks/