U.N.: Afghan healthcare personnel were deliberately attacked

A brand unusual United Countries particular checklist raises concerns over what it says are recent “deliberate assaults” against health care workers and facilities in Afghanistan

By

RAHIM FAIEZ Related Press

June 21, 2020, 1: 59 PM

3 min read

KABUL, Afghanistan —
The United Countries on Sunday launched a numerous checklist expressing concerns over what it called recent “deliberate assaults” against health care workers and facilities in Afghanistan at some level of the coronavirus pandemic.

The United Countries Support Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, acknowledged it had documented 12 deliberate acts of violence between March 11 to Might perchance perhaps 23, and that these assaults describe battle crimes.

The checklist acknowledged eight of the assaults had been implemented by Taliban insurgents, whereas three had been attributed to Afghan security forces. Essentially the most horrific assault, on a maternity ward at a Kabul sanatorium that killed 24 of us closing month, remains unsolved. The United States has acknowledged the assault bore the hallmarks of the Islamic Yelp neighborhood’s affiliate in Afghanistan, which is struggling with every the Taliban and the Kabul executive.

“At a time when an urgent humanitarian response modified into required to provide protection to every life in Afghanistan, every the Taliban and Afghan national security forces implemented deliberate acts of violence that undermined health care operations,” acknowledged Deborah Lyons, the Secretary-Customary’s Particular Consultant for Afghanistan, and head of UNAMA. “There isn’t any such thing as a excuse for such actions; the safety and effectively-being of the civilian inhabitants could well calm be a priority.”

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied the U.N. checklist’s findings, asserting, “We cease now now not assign in thoughts these allegations and reviews to be accurate.” Sunday’s observation acknowledged Taliban militants had now now not attacked any health facilities and claimed they fill got as an different accurate them.

Afghan executive officers did now now not with out prolong reply to requests for observation from The Related Press.

Afghanistan has 28,833 confirmed coronavirus cases with 581 deaths, despite the truth that international help organizations monitoring the nation’s outbreak drawl the numbers are vital larger due to this of a lack of score correct of entry to and testing capabilities.

Following the Might perchance perhaps 12 assault on the Kabul maternity sanatorium, Doctors With out Borders decided closing week to forestall its operations in Kabul. The international charity, additionally identified by its French acronym MSF, acknowledged it would relieve its other functions in Afghanistan working, nonetheless did now now not accelerate into info.

The assault on the maternity sanatorium killed two infants moreover to several young moms moreover to nurses, and space off an hours-long shootout with Afghan police. The sanatorium in Dashti Barchi, a basically Shiite neighborhood, modified into the Geneva-essentially based mostly totally neighborhood’s handiest challenge within the Afghan capital. The U.S. has acknowledged the assault focused the nation’s minority Shiites in a neighborhood of Kabul that the Islamic Yelp neighborhood has persistently attacked within the past. The Taliban promptly denied involvement.

The U.N. checklist emphasised that deliberate acts of violence against health care facilities, in conjunction with hospitals and connected personnel, are prohibited below international humanitarian regulation and describe battle crimes.

“Perpetrating focused assaults on healthcare at some level of the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when health resources are already stretched and of vital significance to the civilian inhabitants, is significantly reprehensible,” acknowledged Fiona Frazer, UNAMA Chief of Human Rights.


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