UNSC condemns Afghanistan violence, says it won't support 'Islamic emirate!

New York: The UN Security Council on Tuesday condemned deliberate and targeted attacks on civilians in Afghanistan and declared that it does 'not support the restoration of the Islamic emirate' as the pre-2001 Taliban regime used to call itself.

In a statement issued on the second day of the Indian presidency, the UNSC slammed the attack on a UN compound in Herat last week.

It said that 'deliberate attacks targeting civilians, United Nations personnel and United Nations compounds may constitute war crimes'.

All UNSC members are concerned about the escalating violence in Afghanistan, as the statement reflected. A request is understood to have been moved for a UNSC meeting on the situation in the country, which would signal heightened concerns in the top UN body.

Calling for an immediate reduction in violence, the UNSC said 'sustainable peace can be achieved only through a comprehensive and inclusive Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace process that aims at a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire, as well as an inclusive, just and realistic political settlement to end the conflict in Afghanistan'.

The UNSC members directed their attention to the Taliban's plans to restore the 'Islamic emirate', as their regime was called before it was overthrown in October 2001 by a US-led invasion following the 9/11 terror attacks in the US.

'The members of the Security Council recalled resolution 2513 (2020) reaffirmed that there is no military solution to the conflict, and declared that they do not support the restoration of the Islamic emirate,' the statement said.

It was referring to a resolution adopted by the UNSC in March 2020 welcoming peace talks and efforts following the signing of the US-Taliban accord.

It had said, among other things, that the 'Islamic emirate of Afghanistan is not recognised at the United States, and furthermore that the UN Security Council does not support the restoration of the Islamic emirate of Afghanistan'.

The Taliban has advanced aggressively in recent weeks as the pullout of US-led international forces nears completion much ahead of the September 11 deadline self-imposed by US President Joe Biden.

Their military advance has been accompanied by the return of brutal and barbaric violence and practices that had marked their 1996-2001 reign.

INDIA ING CLOSELY

India has followed the situation in Afghanistan closely and has called for a 'permanent and comprehensive ceasefire', which was reflected in Tuesday's statement. Afghanistan will be a key issue that could dominate India's term as the rotational president of the Security Council for the month of August.

The UNSC statement called on the Islamic Republic - as Afghanistan is called - and the Taliban to 'engage meaningfully in an inclusive, Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process in order to make urgent progress towards a political settlement and a ceasefire'.

The Security Council also stressed on 'the need for full, equal and meaningful participation of women'.

The Afghan government and the Taliban are barely talking as the insurgents have been focused on expanding their areas of influence through military advances.