Violence by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan endangers the peace process, US Secretary of State Blinken said during his visit to India. He called negotiations the only way to bring the Afghan government and the fighting group together.
Blinken spoke to journalists about the increasing violence in Afghanistan. “It’s a bad sign for the future of the country,” the US secretary said. “All concerned must take the process of peace very seriously.”
Little result in peace talks
Peace talks have been going on between the Afghan government and the Taliban since September. Over the past few weeks there have been encounters in the Qatari capital Doha, but that has not yielded much yet.
The Taliban have been attacking more civilian targets in Afghanistan in recent months. In two months, almost 2400 people were killed and injured, the highest number in such a period in more than ten years.
The increasing violence is linked to the withdrawal of international troops from the country. About 95 percent of foreign military personnel have left Afghanistan. As a result, the Taliban can advance further and conquer more and more territory. The Afghan army is unable to stop the advance.
Civilians are being attacked, especially in rural areas, but there are also more and more reports from cities about massacres. Girls in particular are victims of the violence.
US previously expressed doubts
The United Nations expects the death toll to rise significantly in the near future.
Minister Blinken has repeatedly lashed out at the Taliban. He said last month that he doubts whether the Taliban really want peace in Afghanistan. He acknowledged that violence in the country is increasing as international troops leave.
US President Biden previously said that the withdrawal of foreign troops is justifiable and that Afghanistan must now stand on its own two feet.
Previously, camerawoman Jordan Bryon and journalist Charlie Faulkner visited Raouf Aliyar in Mazar-i-Sharif, where he fights the Taliban with other civilians:
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