Kabul: The recent wave of deadly attacks on civilian targets in Afghanistan were on Thursday branded “war crimes” by the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC).

The human rights commission called for justice to be served on the perpetrators who planned and carried out the attacks on the civilian population in the country.

“The attacks on a 100-bed hospital in Dashte-e-Barchi and in Jalalabad fall in the category of major crimes. These are not any incidents to simply forget. The human rights commission will follow the case and will continue its call for justice at the international level,” said Naeem Nazari, the deputy head of the AIHRC.

This comes a day after Human Rights Watch also declared the attack on the maternity hospital in Kabul a war crime.

“The attack by unidentified assailants on a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan on May 12, 2020, shows blatant disregard for civilian life and is an apparent war crime," Human Rights Watch said.

"A suicide bombing attack and ensuing gun battles killed at least 13 civilians, including 2 infants, and wounded at least 15. More than 80 patients, including children, were evacuated from the hospital,” the Human Rights Watch statement read.

Meanwhile, residents in various regions of Afghanistan have called the recent attacks in Afghanistan a "human tragedy." They said the continuation of this situation is not acceptable for them.

The attack on the maternity hospital in Kabul and a funeral ceremony in the eastern province of Nangarhar left dozens of people killed and wounded. The attacks also sparked international condemnations.

“Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah are engaging in an internal rift, they have destroyed the people. You are aware that many people were martyred in attacks in Nangarhar and other provinces,” said Ehsanullah, a resident in Nangarhar.
 
“The entire people of Afghanistan want the politicians to bring an end to the war so that peace can prevail in Afghanistan,” said Hafizullah, a resident in Laghman province.
 
“They (insurgents) do not have mercy even on a maternity hospital where babies are born, the government also remains a spectator and does not take action to prevent such attacks,” said Arezo, a resident in Ghazni.
 
“Many of our compatriots were killed during the holy month of Ramadan in Kabul and Nangarhar provinces. This is totally a criminal act and unforgivable,” said Ahmad Shoaib, a resident in Faryab.
 
“For a while the Taliban have increased their attacks and they never followed through on their commitments. We call on the government to resist them and suppress them,” said Shadab, a resident in Balkh.
 
“The Taliban did not deliver on their promises regarding a reduction in violence call, now the government should adopt a reciprocal action,” said Mir Ahmad Attayee, a resident in Badghis.
 
“The attack on the hospital in Kabul indicates the weakness of the government,” said Shafi Hamidi, a resident in Herat.
 
“Recent deadly attacks in the country show that creating a barrier in the way of peace and delaying the start of intra-Afghan talks has led to a further escalation of war and civilian casualties,” said Fazel Hadi Wazeen, the deputy of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of Hizb-e-Islami.
 
Also on Thursday, at least five civilians were killed in a car bomb that exploded in front of the gate of a Defense Ministry facility in Gardiz city.
 
In the wake of Tuesday’s deadly attacks in Kabul and Nangarhar provinces which killed dozens of civilians including women and babies, Afghan president Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday night said that the Afghan government and security forces will take all necessary measures to secure the people from attacks.
 
Ghani ordered members of the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces (ANDSF) to take an "offense" position against the Taliban.

https://tolonews.com/afghanistan/watchdog-calls-attacks-%E2%80%98war-crimes%E2%80%99