By Janet Ekstract
NEW YORK – On Friday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the Taliban to end their assault on Afghanistan, warning: “Afghanistan is spinning out of control.”At a press conference in New York, the secretary-general said it’s time to start “serious negotiation.” Guterres added: “This is the moment to avoid a prolonged civil war or the isolation of Afghanistan.” He said protection for civilians must be stepped up and commented that he is “deeply disturbed by early indications that the Taliban are imposing severe restrictions on human rights in the areas under their control, particularly targeting women and journalists.” Guterres further countered: “It is particularly horrifying and heartbreaking to see reports of the hard-won rights of Afghan girls and women being ripped away from them.”
Guterres further commented: “Only an Afghan-led negotiated political settlement can ensure peace.” He pressed for detailed talks between representatives of the Taliban and the government. Though three rounds of talks took place this week in Doha, Qatar no resolution was forthcoming.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Friday that the U.N. is assessing the security situation in Afghanistan on “an hour-by-hour basis” and moving some of its staff to Kabul. He said the U.N. is not yet evacuating any of its personnel from the region. Dujarric added the U.N. has 3,000 national staff and close to 300 international staff on the ground in the country. He added that aid is still being delivered to many areas in Afghanistan including Kabul.
Meanwhile, a number of other countries are in the process of evacuating their staff. The U.S. is sending about 3,000 extra troops to assist in evacuating U.S. Embassy staff. Britain is sending 600 troops to assist its nationals in leaving Afghanistan. Additional embassies including Germany, Norway and the Netherlands as well as aid groups, reported they are getting their personnel out of the country. The U.N. reports that since the beginning of 2021, close to half a million people were newly displaced by conflict in Afghanistan. Dujarric stated that 10,350 internally displaced people arrived in Kabul between July 1 and August 12.
