United Nations, August 4: The Security Council on Tuesday condemned "in the strongest terms" Friday's attack on the UN compound in Herat, Afghanistan, which resulted in the death of an Afghan security forces guard and several injuries.
In a press statement, the members of the Security Council expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the family of the victim and wished a speedy and full recovery to those injured.
They expressed their deep concern about the high levels of violence in Afghanistan following the Taliban's military offensive, and called for an immediate reduction of violence.
The council members also expressed deep concern about the number of reported serious human rights abuses and violations in communities affected by the ongoing armed conflict across the country.
They condemned all instances of terrorism and deliberate targeted attacks against civilians. They recalled that all parties must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law in all circumstances, including those related to the protection of civilians. They underlined that deliberate attacks targeting civilians, UN personnel and UN compounds may constitute war crimes, and stressed the urgent and imperative need to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The council members reiterated their support to the work of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and, in this regard, emphasized the importance of the safety and security of UN personnel.
They called on both the Afghan government and the Taliban to engage meaningfully in an inclusive, Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process in order to make urgent progress toward a political settlement and a cease-fire.
They recognized that sustainable peace can be achieved only through a comprehensive and inclusive Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace process that aims at a permanent and comprehensive cease-fire, as well as an inclusive, just, and realistic political settlement to end the conflict in Afghanistan. They stressed the need for full, equal and meaningful participation of women in this regard.
The council members reaffirmed that there is no military solution to the conflict, and declared that they do not support the restoration of the Islamic Emirate run by the Taliban between 1996 and 2001.
Source: Xinhua
