UN strongly condemns Afghan civilian deaths caused by improvised explosive devices

The United Nations has strongly condemned the killing of 12 civilians in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province on Saturday, when two vehicles traveling to a wedding party hit pressure-plate improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted on the road.

Six women, two girls, two boys, and two male drivers were killed in the incident in Giro district, according to a press statement issued by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

The Mission noted that IEDs used by anti-government elements is the leading cause of civilian deaths and injuries this year. It has documented 312 civilian deaths and 695 civilians injured by these weapons between 1 January and 22 May. Of these, 104 civilians were killed and 118 injured by pressure-plate IEDs, a 39 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2013.

“Rising civilian casualties in 2014 from IEDs, particularly indiscriminate pressure-plate IEDs, is extremely disturbing,” said Nicholas Haysom, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan.

“I reiterate UNAMA’s call to all anti-government elements to cease using these terrible weapons which have devastating consequences for civilians.”

The Mission stressed that the use of indiscriminate victim-activated IEDs – which function like massive anti-personnel landmines – may amount to a war crime and is a serious violation of international humanitarian law which binds all parties – including anti-government elements – to the armed conflict in Afghanistan.