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KABUL: While violence is unprecedentedly intensifying across Afghanistan since Taliban have been attacking government institutions and security forces after the US and NATO announced to depart, the United Nations’ Human Rights Watch (HRW) says it is concerned over the retaliatory killings.
Patricia Gossman, head of the watchdog’s Asia office, said Sunday that there have been such incidents in the past4 since Taliban and the government-backed militia groups had attacked each other’s areas.
“Unfortunately the revenge killings, other types of violation, misuses and compulsory evacuations in the Afghan war have long history. Taliban used to do these when they captured the areas in the past. Also the militias did this when they retook areas from Taliban and they punished civilians. Such violence and retaliatory acts are very dangerous and have resulted brutalities. Now that districts fall to rival parties, so the international community should be very attentive,” she said.
People in the provinces of Herat, Nooristan, Baghlan, Kunduz, Faryab, Balkh, Jawzjan, Takhar, Parwan, Nangarhar, Khost, Paktika, Paktia, Helmand, Uruzgan and Ghor have been armed by local warlords under the name of public uprising.
Ministry of Defense admits that the public uprising could have also violated the law.
“Today, they have been mobilized to support security and defense forces against Taliban. They are the people who hate Taliban and do not want their dark regime retake the power. They aim to protect the people and support defense and security forces,” said Fawad Aman, a spokesman of defense ministry.
The government accuses Taliban of attacking civilian areas to use as a shield.
Wahid Omar, President Ghani’s aide, said Taliban only control the destroyed villages. He believes that Taliban would be soon eliminated.
The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, called civilians as the “main victims of war”, calling on the war parties to pay respect to human rights.
People’s representatives in the parliament support the public uprising, but say they should be controlled by the government.
General Scott Miller, commander of the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan also believes that the public uprising forces would cause civil war in Afghanistan.
