KABUL - The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) strongly condemned today a suicide attack which took place on Saturday in front of the Indian consulate in Jalalabad, the capital of the eastern province of Nangarhar, killing nine civilians and injuring another 23.

According to reports, a suicide attacker detonated a car full of explosives after an accomplice was shot dead by local security forces while trying to remove a security barrier to the consulate premises.

Nearby buildings were damaged in the explosion. The majority of the victims were reportedly children who were visiting a nearby mosque for Islamic education; the others included worshipers, shopkeepers and area residents.

“The fact that this attack comes just days after the release of UNAMA’s latest report on civilian casualties, which highlights that the conflict has brought increased suffering and harm to Afghan civilians, is deeply disappointing and very disturbing,” the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and acting head of UNAMA, Nicholas Haysom, said in a press release issued today.

“As we approach the end of the holy month of Ramadan, I reiterate UNAMA’s call for all parties to the conflict to avoid actions which could harm civilians and fully comply with their international legal obligations to protect civilians and prevent civilian casualties,” added Mr. Haysom.

The UN Mission issued its latest Mid-Year Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in Afghanistan last Wednesday. It documented that there was a 23 per cent rise in the number of civilian casualties over the first six months of 2013 compared to last year, reversing the decline observed in 2012.

The report observed that the main factors driving the increase in the number of deaths and injuries to Afghan civilians in the first half of 2013 were the increased use of improvised explosive devices by Anti-Government Elements particularly in areas populated or frequented by civilians, and an increase in civilian casualties from ground engagements between Afghan armed forces and Anti-Government Elements.

The report also noted that children were frequent victims of the violence, with 760 child casualties documented during the first six months of 2013 – 231 killed and 529 injured – up 30 per cent from last year.

UNAMA has repeatedly condemned attacks in areas populated or frequented by civilians and called for their cessation, as well as emphasizing that indiscriminate and deliberate targeting of civilians are violations of international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes.

In its press release, UNAMA extended its condolences to the families of all of those killed in the explosion and wished a speedy recovery for the injured.

Download the UNAMA Press Statement in English | Dari | Pashto