Sayed Mominzadah
The terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack. The militant Islamist Taliban also conquered another district in the country. It is now the twelfth since the start of the withdrawal of international troops from the crisis country.
According to the Halo Trust, an “unknown, armed group” broke into a camp with around 110 deminers in the northern Baghlan province on Tuesday evening (local time) and opened fire. Shortly before, the miners had been working on nearby minefields.
The IS terrorist militia claimed responsibility for the attack. “Soldiers of the caliphate” opened fire on the mine clearers with machine guns, the organization announced on its Nashir News platform. More than 60 people were killed or injured in the process. The attackers also took devices and equipment.
The Afghan Interior Ministry accused the militant Islamist Taliban. The Islamists said on Twitter that they had nothing to do with the incident.
“We condemn the attack on our employees in the strongest,” said the Halo Trust statement. They did humanitarian work to save lives. The focus is now on looking after the injured and supporting the families affected.
In the past, Halo Trust employees in Afghanistan had been abducted for short periods several times by unknown persons. According to the charity’s website, Halo Trust has 2,600 employees in Afghanistan. The demining organization program in the country is run entirely by Afghans. Since 1988 mines and other explosive objects have been destroyed in the country.
In Afghanistan, non-governmental organizations and aid projects are repeatedly attacked. According to information from the non-governmental organization Inso, 180 incidents involving NGOs were registered in Afghanistan in 2020. 14 employees were killed, 27 injured and 42 kidnapped.
Since the official start of the withdrawal of international troops on May 1, the security situation in the country has deteriorated again. The Taliban were able to conquer another district on Tuesday evening (local time), the twelfth district since the beginning of May. Afghanistan is divided into 34 provinces and around 400 districts.
The security forces had left the Jawand district in Badghis province in the north of the country after several days of fierce fighting, provincial councils confirmed on Wednesday. Special forces had been transferred there, but could not have done anything. Finally, the forces were evacuated by helicopter. The district of Tscha Ab in the province of Tachar in the north of the country is on the verge of the fall, said local authorities. Heavy fighting has also been reported from other parts of the country.
Hundreds of security forces have been killed or injured in Afghanistan in the past few weeks. Civilians are also victims of the conflict every day. In addition to the Taliban, the Islamic State terrorist militia is also active in the country. The peace talks continue to stand still.