The number of Afghan civilian casualties in 2008 – at total of 2,118 – is the highest recorded since the ouster of the Taliban in 2001, the United Nations says in a new report, which calls on all parties to ensure the protection of innocents.
The United Nations today strongly condemned the terrorist attacks against government buildings in the Afghan capital, Kabul, which took the lives of at least 20 people and injured many more, calling for the punishment of those responsible.
The elections slated to be held later this year in Afghanistan will be a vital opportunity to boost the country’s political stability, the United Nations peacekeeping chief said today, pledging the world body’s assistance to ensure fair, timely and transparent polls.
Making a surprise stop in Afghanistan today, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pledged the United Nations’ strong support for development and the consolidation of peace and stability in the strife-torn nation.
The United Nations and its partners today appealed for $604 million to help meet the needs of Afghans made vulnerable by natural disasters, lack of access to basic social services, increasing food insecurity and the worsening security situation.
The top United Nations official in Afghanistan has spoken out about today’s attack at a police station in the southern province of Uruzgan which reportedly killed at least 20 officers.
