UN Mission in Afghanistan Attacked, At Least One Police Officer Killed

The attack on the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) was reported right after it released a statement, raising concerns about the death of civilians in frequent attacks by the Taliban* in Kandahar.

Unknown attackers targeted the United Nations mission in Afghanistan on Friday. According to preliminary reports, all mission members are safe; however, one police officer was killed and several people were injured as a result of the assault.

"The United Nations in Afghanistan condemns in the strongest terms the attack today on its main compound in Herat that resulted in the loss of life of an Afghan police guard and injuries to other officers", UNAMA said in a statement, adding that no UN personnel was hurt during the attack.

No group has claimed responsibility for the incident so far.

The mission previously reported that there had been a major spike in civilian casualties since May, when international military forces began their withdrawal from the country. UNAMA recorded 5,183 civilian casualties (1,659 killed and 3,524 injured), a 47% increase compared to the same period in 2020.

"UNAMA calls on parties to exercise maximum restraint & take all possible measures to protect civilians from further harm. The Mission warns of the grave consequences to civilians in #Kandahar if the fighting continues & intensifies in urban areas of the city", the UN mission warned in a tweet.

The American military is leaving Afghanistan in accordance with a peace agreement with the Taliban that was signed in 2020. 

As US and NATO troops are gradually being withdrawn, clashes between the Afghan government forces and Taliban escalate. According to the group, it now controls 90 percent of Afghanistan's borders; however, Kabul denies the claim as an "absolute lie" and "baseless propaganda".

*Taliban is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries