Ongoing violence can turn Afghanistan into another Syria: UNAMA

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Head of UNAMA and UN Secretary-General’s special representative to Afghanistan Deborah Lyons in her speech in UNSC said that the ongoing atrocities are reminiscent of Syria and attacks on major cities will further increase the casualties of civilian people in Afghanistan.

Lyons called on UN Security Council to prevent Afghanistan from plunging into a catastrophe.

UN Security Council presided by India for the first time held a special session on Afghanistan on Friday, August 7.

Special representative said that the strategy of the Taliban has changed in the past two months and are now attacking major cities so that they can capture them by force after they toppled districts around the country.

She said that the group has been waging war in the provincial capitals of Kandahar, Helmand, and Herat provinces which have inflicted over 1000 casualties to civilian people.

Lyons added that the Taliban were expected to decrease violence after reaching an agreement with the US followed by the commencement of intra-afghan talks and then the full withdrawal of foreign troops but on the contrary, she said, the violence increased and civilians are losing their lives on daily bases.

“People are executed and beaten in areas under the Taliban’s control and there is a clampdown on local media in these areas. Women are afraid to be killed only for having worked with government or NGO.” Said Lyons.
The special representative warned that if the ongoing misery is not prevented the catastrophe of Afghanistan will go beyond its borders. (Khaama Press)