A United Nations compound was attacked.
- A guard was killed in the UN compound in Afghanistan.
- The main United Nations compound in the area was attacked.
- According to reports, grenades and guns were used.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said that the main UN compound in the capital of Herat province in western Afghanistan was attacked by “anti-government elements” on Friday and at least one security guard was killed.
Officials said the attack occurred hours after Taliban militants penetrated deep into the city of Herat and clashed with Afghan security forces near UNAMA’s provincial headquarters, involving rocket-propelled grenades and guns.
In a statement after the attack, the United Nations stated that it is urgently seeking to fully understand the attack and maintain contact with all parties concerned.
It is unclear who attacked the compound, but a Western security official told Reuters that all diplomatic compounds in the city are on high alert.
facility
UNAMA said the attack was aimed at the entrance to the compound clearly marked as a United Nations facility.
Deborah Lyons, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, said: “This attack on the UN is regrettable, and we condemn it in the strongest terms.”
UNAMA stated that no UN personnel were injured in the incident.
Herat City is the second provincial capital that the Taliban has entered in the past 24 hours. A day ago, the rebels entered the capital of the southern province of Helmand, where clashes were taking place. The citizens evacuated the city in a hurry.
An unnamed government official told Reuters: “Since Thursday morning, the Taliban have launched attacks on the city of Rashkar Gah from multiple directions.” Rashkar Gah is the capital of Helmand Province. Ermand Province is a southern province bordering Pakistan.
As foreign troops headed by the United States approached their complete withdrawal, the Taliban quickly acquired territory in the past two months, but they have not yet occupied any provincial capitals.
A UN report this week stated that the number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan has soared in recent weeks, with the death toll in May and June as high as the previous four months. The report did not cover the casualties in July, when the fighting further intensified.
