UNAMA condemns civilians killing in Ghazni

KABUL (UNAMA) on Sunday strongly condemned the killing of 12 civilians in the Giro district southern Ghazni province.

Two vehicles traveling to a wedding party hit two pressure-plate improvised explosive devices planted on the road, killing all passengers including six women, two girls, two boys and the two men driving the vehicles on Saturday.

A UNAMA statement quoted Nicholas Haysom, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan as saying: “Rising civilian casualties in 2014 from IEDs, particularly indiscriminate pressure-plate IEDs, is extremely disturbing.”

He went on to say that “I reiterate UNAMA’s call to all anti-government elements to cease using these terrible weapons which have devastating consequences for civilians.”
This incident reflects the grim reality of rising civilian casualties from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Afghanistan this year. UNAMA has documented 312 civilian deaths and 695 civilians injured by IEDs between 1 January and 22 May 2014. Of these, 104 civilians were killed and 118 injured (222 civilian casualties) by pressure-plate IEDs, a 39 percent increase compared to the same period in 2013 – reversing a decline in the use of pressure-plate devices documented in 2013, the statement said.
UNAMA stressed that the use of indiscriminate victim-activated IEDs 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.
UNAMA noted that IEDs used by Anti-Government Elements is the leading cause of civilian deaths and injuries this year. UNAMA extended its condolences to the families of those killed.

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