Last month, the present conflict in Afghanistan passed its twentieth year, and in its wake, large numbers of civilians have been killed. In breach of international humanitarian law, the Taliban and other armed organizations have deliberately targeted persons and civilian property, including a maternity facility and educational facilities, over the span of the last two decades. As long as impunity reigns, no one is held accountable for these atrocities.
Violence, harassment, and the intimidation of women and girls have persisted, as well as the abuse of minors. The murder ensuing has never stopped, as the Taliban slaughtered 3,700 Afghan people upon the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2021. Afghan people were being deported back to Afghanistan in large numbers, notably from Iran, where several had been assaulted by Iranian security personnel. In 2021, the Afghan government formed a Joint Commission for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Civil Society Activists in Afghanistan. This commission would report to Second Vice President Mohammad Sarwar Danish, and include activists and the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission as members.
Refugees + Internally Displaced People
In breach of the United Nations principle of non-refoulement (the principle that no one should be returned to a country where they face cruel torture), Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, and European Union nations continue to deport Afghan migrants and asylum seekers. These returns, which halted for a while during the COVID-19 pandemic, were concerning in view of Afghanistan’s health care situation, ongoing fighting, and high poverty levels, putting over 50% of the population below the poverty line. Between January 1st and October 31st of 2023, Iranian authorities forcibly repatriated over 700,000 Afghan asylum seeking individuals.
Iranian border forces were also reportedly involved in attacks on Afghan migrants, including torture, drowning instances, and an arson attack on a van transporting migrants. There was no investigation into the attacks, and no action was taken against the offenders. Attacks of this nature have been on the rise since the United States’ withdrawal from the region in 2021, as they have exceeded double the original numbers.
The International Organization for Migration estimates that 4 million Afghans were internally displaced in 2020, up from 1.2 million in 2016 and half a million in 2013. Currently in 2023, there are 6.6 million Afghans internally displaced. Internally displaced people, already living in dire conditions, were massacred even further, leaving many of them living in densely packed camps with no access to clean water, health care, and jobs. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, their situation worsened as people struggled to find safe places to stay without jeopardizing their health.
Children’s Rights
Harassment and sexual assault against children have persisted. Despite widespread public awareness of child sexual abuse, authorities made little attempt to enforce it.
There have been insufficient opportunities for children to pursue a sufficient education. Over 2 million females remained out of school, in 2021, according to UNICEF, and roughly 7,000 schools in the country lack a structure, according to official estimates. Thousands of children are still being pushed into forced labor or begging on the streets.
Armed Conflict
Despite the numerous peace talks, civilians have been maimed and killed in armed conflict throughout the year, and the number of persons internally displaced has only increased. Between January 1st and September 30th of 2023, 2,177 civilians were killed and 3,822 were injured, according to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Despite a 30% decrease in civilian injuries in comparison with last year, the number of civilian deaths remained nearly the same. Between January 1st and September 30th, 2023, UNAMA estimated that the Taliban were responsible for 45% of civilian deaths, while an armed organization known as the Islamic State in Khorasan was responsible for 7% of civilian deaths.
Teachers, health professionals, humanitarian workers, judges, tribal and religious leaders, and government personnel were all targeted and killed by armed groups in 2020. The attacks have since shifted from facilities, to healthcare workers. Civilians and their property were deliberately targeted in the strikes, which involved breaches of international humanitarian law, including war crimes.
In May, gunmen assaulted a maternity facility in Kabul’s Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood, west of the city. They killed 24 individuals, including infants, pregnant women, and medical personnel. The incident was not claimed by any organization. Between January 1st and September 30th, 2023, pro-government troops were responsible for 602 deaths and 1,038 injuries, accounting for more than a quarter of all deaths and injuries. International military troops murdered 83 individuals and wounded 30 others. According to UNAMA, the number of civilians killed by the Afghan National Army rose over the previous year, primarily due to airstrikes and ground engagements.
Violence surged in anticipation of the peace negotiations, according to UNAMA. Children were still being recruited for fighting by armed groups and Afghan security forces (such aspro-government militias and local police,) and were subjected to a variety of atrocities, including sexual assault. According to UNAMA, Afghanistan remained “one of the world’s deadliest countries for children,” with both pro-government and anti-government factions responsible for over 700 child fatalities each in the last year.
First Vice-President Amrullah Saleh declared in October that an unknown individual who reported civilian deaths in an Afghan government air attack on a school, which killed 12 children, would be arrested. Later, the Takhar province governor’s spokeswoman reported that he had been fired for reporting on Afghan security forces’ civilian casualties of children.
United States Withdrawal
When the United States withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban quickly took over the nation, as their only hindrance was gone. A large number of Afghans fled to escape the violence, leading to a refugee crisis. The Taliban’s rise to power also sparked worries that terrorists may use Afghanistan as a shelter. This worry roots from Ayman al-Zawahiri, the commander of al-Qaeda, who was assassinated by a U.S. drone attack in 2022 after being found in Kabul, the nation’s capital.
The U.S had withdrawn forces under the condition that the Taliban would reach participation in peacekeeping negotiations with the Afghan government. Although the Taliban initially upheld their side of the agreement, that sentiment did not remain for long, as the group again began attacks more powerful than ever before. The path to complete withdrawal had been extended, as Biden had ordered a review of the administration plan prior to his executive decision. The Taliban, motivated by the delay in U.S troop removal, seized control of many provincial capitals and districts. Since the U.S. lost all power in the region, nothing could be done. Afghanistan’s central government soon collapsed, and the Taliban took control of the entire country – including Kabul, the capital.
The United States helped balance the economic situation in Afghanistan during 2001-2021. Countries such as China, Russia and the U.S. have made it so that foreign assets are unavailable to the Taliban through heightened trading prices, and as a result, the Taliban can only allow a person to withdraw $200 per week. As a result, the Taliban is unable to pay their own fighters and the Afghani workforce, leading to crippling poverty across the country.
Since the United States withdrawal, Afghanistan has only experienced more and more turmoil. Attacks, poverty, and death rates have all risen. Afghanistan is dealing with a failed economy, a humanitarian catastrophe, and a Taliban rule, a year after U.S. troops left the country.
Since the United States withdrawal, Afghanistan has only experienced more and more turmoil. Attacks, poverty, and death rates have all risen. Afghanistan is dealing with a failed economy, a humanitarian catastrophe, and a Taliban rule, a year after U.S. troops left the country.