Stop the bloodshed in Afghanistan

A UAE newspaper has said that the Afghan people have suffered for too long, but a credible, long-lasting peace agreement wholeheartedly embraced by all sections involved in the conflict has remained elusive. Twin blasts claimed by Taliban insurgents that struck near the Afghan parliament on Tuesday have claimed several innocent lives.

In an editorial on Wednesday, The Gulf Today said, "That is an indication that the Taliban are determined to press ahead with nationwide attacks despite the onset of winter, when the fighting usually ebbs. Sadly, repeated attempts to launch peace negotiations with the Taliban have failed.

The paper went on to say, "The attacks also underline concerns over growing insecurity. Around 10,000 US troops are already assisting Afghan forces in combating militants. Afghanistan last week welcomed the Pentagon’s decision to deploy some 300 US Marines to Helmand, where American forces engaged in heated combat until their mission ended in 2014.

"The situation on the ground reflects a grim scenario. According to the recently-issued Humanitarian Needs Overview, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs found that 9.3 million people are in need of aid in the country. The number is an increase of 13 percent over the past year, fuelled largely by a continued deepening and geographic spread of the conflict.

"Continued fighting killed a record 8,397 civilians in the first nine months of 2016 alone, and displaced half a million by November. Unfortunately, more than half of those displaced were children, who, in addition to malnutrition, face abuse and exploitation, including through forced marriage, sexual abuse and harmful child labour.

"Also, as top UN officials point out, one of the greatest dangers is hunger. More than a quarter of all Afghanistan’s provinces have acute malnutrition rates above 15 percent, classifying them above emergency thresholds. Out of the total of 1.8 million people requiring assistance for malnutrition, at least 1.3 million are children under the age of five.

"As of September 2016, only a quarter-million children had been admitted for treatment, a fraction of those estimated to be in need, as per a UN report. The food situation is dire, with crops last year producing less than in 2015.

"Humanitarian volunteers have warned of deadly consequences for hundreds of thousands of people who have no shelter and little food.

The paper concluded by saying, "Such a serious warning should not be ignored lightly. The international community just cannot shut its eyes, but should swiftly step in to help those in distress."