Denies Killing Civilians: Taliban Calls For Independent Investigation, Blames Afghan Government And Foreign Military

Illustration of Afghan government soldiers. (Wikimedia Commons/Spc. Theodore Schmidt)

JAKARTA - The Taliban on Wednesday denied targeting and killing civilians during attacks on Afghan Government forces, calling for an independent investigation.

In addition, the Taliban is also trying to reassure Afghans that its members will not pose a threat to civilian homes or families, in the midst of the fierce fighting that has occurred in recent times.

The statement was issued by the Taliban, after the United Nations said more than 1,000 civilians had been killed in the past month, while the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said around 4,042 injured people had been treated in 15 health facilities since August 1.

Taliban fighters have stepped up their military campaign to defeat the US-backed government since April, when foreign troops began withdrawing after a 20-year war.

So far, the Taliban have captured eight provincial capitals in the past week, raising fears of the hardline group's return to power.

"The Taliban have not targeted civilians or their homes in any area, but rather the operation has been carried out with the utmost precision and care," said Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen in a statement.

Instead, Suhail blamed Afghan Government troops and foreign troops for the deaths or other things that happened to Afghan civilians.

In response to this, the United States through the State Department denied the Taliban's denial of responsibility.

"There are, everywhere you look, compelling data points, evidence, images of violence, bloodshed, potential atrocities perpetrated by the Taliban," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.

"We've seen it with our own eyes, from some of the footage that emerged," Price continued.

In this regard, the Taliban proposes that a team consisting of the United Nations, ICRC and other aid groups be formed, accompanying their representatives to carry out an impartial and independent investigation into recent events."

A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Afghanistan mission to the UN in New York did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

To note, since the start of the year, nearly 390,000 people have been displaced by the Afghan conflict, the biggest spike since May, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Wednesday.

"Between July 1 and August 5, 2021, the humanitarian community verified around 5,800 internally displaced persons and arrived in Kabul," he said.

If nothing changes, all foreign coalition forces in Afghanistan led by the United States will complete their withdrawal by September. Previously, US-backed Afghan forces toppled the Taliban from power in 2001, for refusing to hand over Osama bin Laden from Al Qaeda after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.