“What we don’t know is if they have connectivity to (the Islamic State) in Iraq and Syria”, Johnston said. A suicide bomb against a bunch of frankly defenseless citizens really does gain an bad lot of attention for them, and it gives the perception of insecurity, but it doesn’t mean they’re stronger. US airstrikes on Afghanistan are likely to become more frequent, as the strategy shifts from using air power only to defend USA and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation positions to striking in support of Afghan offensives.
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“They are absolutely a threat”, acknowledged the general. Those militants have also been hit hard by the Pakistani military, according to an Afghan security report seen by Reuters.
The attack in Kabul tore through a demonstration by members of the mainly Shiite Hazara minority and is believed to have been the deadliest since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001. It was the first in the capital claimed by the Sunni militant group, whose operations have been largely confined to eastern mountainous regions along Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan.
Why are the Taliban resurgent in Afghanistan?
Civilian casualties in Afghanistan have hit a record high in 2016 with more than 5,000 killed or injured in the first half of 2016, according to a United Nations report published Monday.
“That’s our concern, these high profile attacks, they are effective because they’re not that hard to achieve”, Cleveland told reporters in Kabul.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani thanked the Prime Minister for expressing solidarity with the government and people of Afghanistan at this critical moment.
On Monday, Afghan special forces killed Sahad Emarati, a senior Daesh commander and destroyed training camps during a firefight in the province, said Attahullah Khogyani, a spokesman for Nangarhar’s governor. This represents a major increase in casualties caused by the Afghan and US militaries. Gen. Charles H. Cleveland said worldwide cooperation would be needed to tackle Islamic State in Afghanistan.
The number of child casualties hit 1,509, nearly a third of 2016’s mid-year total, which was also higher than any year since 2009.
This year’s casualties include 1,509 children (388 dead and 1,121 injured) – a figure the UN Human Rights Chief described as “alarming and shameful”, particularly as it represents the highest numbers of children killed or wounded in a six-month period since counting began in 2009.
Children in particular are paying a heavy price for growing insecurity as the conflict escalates, making up almost one-third of all casualties.
A United Nations report on Afghanistan published on Monday showed a record number of civilian casualties since counting began in 2009, a United Nations spokesman told reporters here.
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The statistics indicate the grown the insecurity in Afghanistan as Taliban has boosted their nationwide insurgency.
