KABUL, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission has condemned recent roadside bomb and landmine attacks by Taliban militants that resulted in the deaths and injuries of scores of civilians.
Nine civilians were killed and 23 others wounded following a series of roadside bomb attacks and landmines conducted by Taliban militants on April 20 and 21 in Ghazni, Khost and Paktia provinces, said a statement from the commission posted on its website Monday.
"Such indiscriminate killings and attacks which are the main element of civilians' death and injury, could be called as the symbol of war crimes and in contradiction to the international humanitarian rules and principles," the statement said.
Militants in Afghanistan have been using home-made improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to make roadside bombs and landmines to target security forces, but the lethal weapons also inflict casualties on civilians.
The statement comes as the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Monday announced that more than 500 civilians, including more than 150 children, were killed due to fighting in Afghanistan in the first three months of 2020.
A total of 760 civilians were also wounded in the conflict during the same period of time, the UNAMA said.
The UNAMA also urged the government and anti-government elements to do more to protect civilians from harm, especially in view of the looming threat posed to all Afghans by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The UNAMA has attributed 55 percent of civilian casualties to the Taliban and other insurgent groups, 32 percent to security forces over the period while the rest 13 percent were caused by other reasons. Enditem
