Iran condemns deadly attack on UN convoy in Afghanistan’s Kabul province

Afghan National Army members stand guard near the site of a blast in Jalalabad, Afghanistan February 11, 2021. (Photo by REUTERS)

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned a terrorist attack on a convoy of UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA), which left five security personnel dead.

Saeed Khatibzadeh, the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman made the announcement on Thursday evening, expressing his condolences with the families of the victims.

“Unfortunately,  violence in Afghanistan has entered a very dangerous phase and if the international community, regional countries and all responsible forces in Afghanistan do not pay attention to this important issue, there are fears that this country would see increasing violence and worse security conditions,” he added.

According to AFP, five Afghan security personnel were killed when a UN convoy they were escorting came under attack in Kabul province.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack and a Taliban spokesman said they had nothing to do with it.

A statement by UNAMA said no UN personnel were hurt in the attack, which took place in the Surobi district of the province outside of the Afghan capital.

"The UN family in Afghanistan mourns the loss of five Afghan Directorate of Protection Service personnel in an incident today in Surobi district of Kabul," UNAMA tweeted, referring to a unit of Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry, which provides security personnel to UN and foreign embassies.

"Violence in Afghanistan must end," tweeted Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Secretary General's Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan.

During recent weeks, violence has been on the rise in Afghanistan with Kabul and several Afghan cities seeing near-daily attacks targeting prominent Afghans, including politicians, journalists, activists, judges, and religious scholars.

Afghan and US officials have blamed the surging violence on the Taliban militants.

Since September 2020, the Afghan government has been negotiating with the Taliban to find an end to years of bloodshed in the country.

Insecurity and violence, however, continue to take a heavy toll across Afghanistan.

The US overthrew a Taliban regime shortly after the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan. But US forces have remained bogged down there ever since.

Nearly two decades on, Washington struck a deal with the militant group in 2020. Bloodshed has not abated, though.


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