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Official: Recent Taliban Violence Harms Hundreds of Afghan Civilians

Ayaz Gul

   ISLAMABAD - Officials in Afghanistan alleged Saturday the Taliban has
   "killed or wounded" nearly 800 civilians since signing the February 29
   peace-building deal with the United States. A spokesman for the
   Islamist insurgency swiftly rejected the charges.
   The allegations came on a day when Washington's peace envoy for the
   war-torn country, Zalmay Khalilzad, again called on the warring sides
   to work for peace, saying the U.S.-Taliban agreement "provides a
   historic opportunity for Afghanistan."
   A national security council spokesman in Kabul, while releasing details
   of the stepped-up insurgent violence, claimed the Taliban conducted
   more than 2,800 "terrorist activities" between Feb. 29 and April 20,
   killing and wounding "789 civilians during this period."
   Javid Faisal went on to say Afghan security forces in counter attacks
   also inflicted more than 2,700 casualties on the Taliban. "Last week
   was the bloodiest since the U.S.-Taliban deal, with the Taliban killing
   34 and wounding 62 civilians across 17 provinces," he said without
   elaborating.
   Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen, when contacted by VOA for his
   reaction, questioned the veracity of the government claim on civilian
   casualties.
   "This is a general claim, can they say where and when?" Shaheen asked.
   Battlefield clashes have escalated in Afghanistan as the annual spring
   fighting season arrives, killing scores of combatants on both sides in
   the past week alone. Afghan media reported government forces suffered
   up to 100 deaths.

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