Atmar thanks India, other UNSC members for condemning violence in Afghanistan

Kabul [Afghanistan] August 8 (ANI): Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammed Haneef Atmar on Saturday thanked India along with other United Nations Security Council (UNSC) members for condemning violence in Afghanistan and sharing deep concerns over the war-torn situation in the country.

He also urged the council to deploy Special Rapporteurs to investigate and help prevent Taliban’s attacks on cities and human rights violations in Afghanistan.

“We appreciate the calls for cessation of violence, protection of civilian lives, prevention of Human Rights violations, implementation of UNSCR 2513 and prosecution of perpetrators of war crimes,” Atmar said in a tweet.

Afghanistan must not become a safe haven for terrorists. This requires compelling the Taliban to cut ties with foreign terrorists and fulfil their obligations in accordance with the Doha Agreement, UNSCR 2513 & Extended Troika and Heart of Asia consensus, he said in a series of tweets.

Meanwhile, at the UNSC meeting on the Afghanistan situation, member states expressed concern about the deteriorating situation and called for a political settlement.

Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Deborah Lyons, in her address, questioned the Taliban’s commitment to peace negotiations and cautioned that the war had now entered a ‘deadlier and more destructive’ phase, with over 1,000 civilians killed during the past month on account of Taliban offensives.

In another recent development, the Taliban on Sunday faced heavy casualties when Air Forces targeted their gatherings and hideouts in the city of Shebergan, killing 200 members of the terrorist outfit.

The Taliban gathering was targeted by a B-52 bomber in Shebergan city of Jawzjan province today evening at 6:30 pm. (ANI)