AFGHANISTAN MIDYEAR REPORT ON PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS IN ARMED CONFLICT: 2020 AFGHANISTAN PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS IN ARMED CONFLICT MIDYEAR REPORT: 1 JANUARY—30 JUNE 2020 UNITED NATIONS ASSISTANCE MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN JULY 2020 1 AFGHANISTAN MIDYEAR REPORT ON PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS IN ARMED CONFLICT: 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. OVERVIEW 3 II. EID AL-FITR CEASEFIRE (24-26 MAY 2020) 6 III. ANTI-GOVERNMENT ELEMENTS 8 Spotlight: IED attack against an Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission vehicle on 27 June 2020, killing two staff members 11 Spotlight: Public execution of two men by the Taliban in Faryab province on 26 June 2020 13 IV. PRO-GOVERNMENT FORCES 14 Spotlight: Afghan National Army mortar attack in response to Taliban fire in Helmand province on 29 June 2020 15 V. INCIDENTS AFFECTING HEALTHCARE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC 18 VI. RECRUITMENT AND USE OF CHILDREN 20 VII. IMPACT OF THE ARMED CONFLICT ON VICTIMS AND RELATIVES 22 Impact of the armed conflict on the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights 23 Efforts by the parties to the conflict to address harm caused 27 VIII. METHODOLOGY 28 IX. ENDNOTES 29 Photo on Front Cover: © Jawad Jalali 2 AFGHANISTAN MIDYEAR REPORT ON PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS IN ARMED CONFLICT: 2020 I. OVERVIEW rom 1 January to 30 June 2020, UNAMA tributed to the Taliban and the Afghan national se- documented 3,458 civilian casualties curity forces. (1,282 killed and 2,176 injured). Despite periods of reductions in violence, includ- UNAMA reiterates that ultimately, the best way to Fing during the week leading up to the signing of the protect civilians is to stop the fighting through a 29 February US-Taliban agreement and the cease- negotiated political settlement. The reality remains fire declared over Eid al-Fitr between the Taliban that Afghanistan continues to be one of the deadli- and the Government of Afghanistan, violence has est conflicts in the world for civilians. Each year, continued, with civilians bearing the brunt. The thousands of civilians are killed and injured, ab- overall number of civilian casualties represents a 13 ducted, displaced and threatened by parties to the per cent decrease as compared to the same time pe- conflict in Afghanistan; in addition to being killed riod last year,1 and the lowest figure since 2012. and maimed at alarming rates, children are contin- UNAMA welcomes the reduction, but notes that it uing to be recruited and used, and subjected to sex- was mainly due to a drop in civilian casualties at- ual violence by parties to the conflict; and women tributed to the international military forces as well are facing multiple threats to their protection stem- as to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – ming from the direct and indirect impact of the Khorasan Province (ISIL-KP); UNAMA continued conflict. Many of these victims continue to suffer to document worrying civilian casualty trends at- long after the dust from the fighting has settled due Total Civilian Casualties 1 January to 30 June 2009-2020 3 AFGHANISTAN MIDYEAR REPORT ON PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS IN ARMED CONFLICT: 2020 Civilian Casualties by Incident Type 1 January to 30 June 2020 to long-term disabilities, psychological trauma, fi- sustainable resolution to the conflict. nancial loss and poverty, and uncertainty about their future. The COVID-19 pandemic has drasti- The overall decrease in civilian casualties was driven cally reduced the ability of victims to recover from by a significant drop in civilian casualties from air- the impact of the armed conflict, as well as in- strikes by international military forces as well as from creased the vulnerability of the wider civilian popu- reduced activity by ISIL-KP, particularly in the use of lation to further threats. non-suicide improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Ci- vilian casualties resulting from Taliban activity con- The experiences, rights and needs of the individuals tinued at high levels, with UNAMA documenting a and communities who have been subjected to re- worrying increase in civilian casualties from impro- peated violence must be acknowledged and ad- dressed as part of the parties’ efforts to protect civil- The experiences, rights and ians, in addition to holding perpetrators to account. needs of individuals and By placing the protection and well-being of the ci- vilian population at the forefront, the Government communities who have been of Afghanistan and the Taliban can foster a condu- cive environment for the peace talks and ensure a subjected to repeated violence must be acknowledged and addressed as part of protection of civilians efforts. 4 AFGHANISTAN MIDYEAR REPORT ON PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS IN ARMED CONFLICT: 2020 Civilian Casualty Timeline by Party to the Conflict 1 January to 30 June 2020 vised anti-personnel mines during the first half of the The use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) year as compared to the same time period last year.2 (suicide and non-suicide) was the second leading Civilian casualties attributed to Afghan national secu- cause of civilian casualties. Attacks classified as rity forces increased by nine per cent, mainly due to “targeted killings”3, which include mass shooting airstrikes and the use of indirect fire during ground incidents, were the leading cause of civilian deaths. engagements. Consistent with trends documented in the first quarter, Anti-Government Elements contin- Civilians living in Balkh and Kabul provinces were most ued to cause the majority of civilian casualties, while affected by the conflict (344 civilian casualties and 338 Pro-Government Forces remained responsible for civilian casualties respectively), followed by Nangarhar more child deaths than Anti-Government Elements. (281 civilian casualties), Faryab (233 civilian casualties) and Kunduz (205 civilian casualties) provinces.4 Ground engagements remained the leading cause of civilian casualties, representing 35 per cent of the UNAMA remains concerned about the detrimental overall total (1,195 civilian casualties: 336 killed and impact of the conflict on women and children, who 859 injured). Two-thirds of civilian casualties from comprise over 40 per cent all civilian casualties. The ground engagements were caused by the use of indi- armed conflict caused 397women casualties (138 rect fire, particularly in civilian-populated areas. killed and 259 injured) during the first six months 5 AFGHANISTAN MIDYEAR REPORT ON PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS IN ARMED CONFLICT: 2020 of 2020, representing 11 per cent of all civilian casu- 1,067 child casualties (340 killed and 727 injured), alties. Ground engagements were the leading cause representing 31 per cent of the overall civilian casu- of women casualties, followed by targeted killings, alty total. Ground engagements were the leading airstrikes and IEDs. The conflict in Afghanistan cause of child casualties, followed by IEDs and ex- continues to be among the most dangerous in the plosive remnants of war. world for children, with UNAMA documenting II. EID AL-FITR CEASEFIRE (24-26 MAY 2020) n the evening of 23 May, the Taliban national security forces (1), or to crossfire between announced a three-day unilateral ces- the two (2) with the remainder attributed to pro- sation of hostilities over the Eid al- Government armed groups, undetermined Anti- Fitr holiday.5 Shortly thereafter, Pres- Government Elements or unknown parties from Oident Ashraf Ghani welcomed the ceasefire an- explosive remnants of war. Of the 18 civilian casual- nouncement and extended “the offer of peace”, in- ties attributed to the Taliban during the Eid cease- dicating that he had ordered Afghan national secu- fire, five civilian casualties (four killed and one in- rity forces to cease hostilities for three days.6 Both jured) resulted from the detonation of a pressure- parties indicated they would allow for defensive ac- plate IED, which may have been emplaced before tions.7 UNAMA monitoring of UNAMA monitoring and documentation of civilian casualties over the Eid ceasefire period indicates that civilian casualties over the Eid the parties to the conflict indeed have the ability to reduce the fighting with a positive impact on civil- ceasefire period indicates that ians when there is political will to do so. Over the the parties to the conflict three days of Eid (24-26 May), UNAMA document- ed 45 per cent fewer civilian casualties than the av- indeed have the ability to erage three-day period for May 2020, amounting to 49 civilian casualties (27 killed and 22 injured).8 reduce the fighting with a However, only 21 of those civilian casualties were positive impact on civilians clearly attributed to the Taliban (18), the Afghan when there is political will to do so. 6 AFGHANISTAN MIDYEAR REPORT ON PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS IN ARMED CONFLICT: 2020 the ceasefire, and six civilian casualties (five killed half of 2020, UNAMA has verified 218 civilian casu- and one injured) resulted from an IED prematurely alties (59 killed and 159 injured) from explosive detonating inside a Taliban member’s house, which remnants of war, over 80 per cent of whom were harmed his own family members. children. Reducing the harm posed from explosive remnants of war, especially to children, is in the in- The civilian harm caused by explosive remnants of terest of both the Government of Afghanistan and war during the ceasefire period, as well as during the the Taliban, and should be a matter of priority, in- reduction in violence period in February, also un- cluding during periods of reduction or cessation of derscores the urgent need for the parties to facilitate violence. humanitarian demining. Overall, during the first Civilian Casualties by Party to the Conflict 1 January to 30 June 2020 7 AFGHANISTAN MIDYEAR REPORT ON PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS IN ARMED CONFLICT: 2020 III. ANTI-GOVERNMENT ELEMENTS nti-Government Elements continued cern, UNAMA documented a 33 per cent increase to be responsible for the majority of in civilian deaths.