WorlPosted at: Aug 7 2021 1:16PM US condemns killing of Afghan govt media officer by Taliban
Kabul, Aug 7 (UNI) The US has strongly condemned the brutal killing of the Afghan government’s senior media officer in Kabul by Taliban militants and said such actions will not help the Taliban gain international legitimacy.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that the US administration is “closely tracking” the developments in Afghanistan and is “concerned about” the retaliatory killings of civilians by the Islamist militant group.
Dawa Khan Menapal, the head of the Afghan government’s media and information centre, was killed in an attack by the Taliban in Kabul on Friday, Tolo News reported. The militant group claimed responsibility for the killing.
“He was shot in a brutal way on his face, head, and stomach. He was in critical condition. His driver is also in bad condition,” said Mirwais, an eyewitness.
“If the Taliban claim to want international legitimacy, these actions are not going to get them the legitimacy they seek. They do not have to stay on this trajectory. They could choose to devote the same energy to the peace process as they are to their military campaign,” Psaki said.
Her comments come as the Taliban captured the city of Zaranj, the capital of Nimroz province in southwestern Afghanistan, on Friday.
“First, let me strongly condemn, on behalf of the US government, of course, the assassination of Dawa Khan Menapal, the director of the Afghan governmental information media center. His murder follows the bombing attack in Kabul earlier this week, the targeting at the acting Afghan defense minister,” Psaki said.
At least eight people were killed and 20 wounded in the Taliban’s failed assassination attempt of Acting Defense Minister Gen. Bismillah Mohammadi on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Taliban’s capture of the city of Zaranj is the first provincial capital to be seized by the group since the Biden administration said it would completely withdraw US troops from the country.
The Taliban attacked the provincial capital on Thursday night, prompting hundreds of residents of the city to flock towards the border with Iran, in a desperate search for safety.
There are also reports that government assets were looted in different parts of the city.
The Taliban after capturing Kanak district in Nimroz brutally executed at least 30 soldiers, Tolo News said. But the Taliban have maintained the soldiers were killed during clashes.
A video from Nimroz shows several bodies purportedly of the government forces lying on the ground. The Taliban reportedly tortured the soldiers, maimed them and gouged their eyes before killing them.
“Based on the international law, it is counted as a war crime, it is also against Islamic principles,” said Laal Gul Laal, the head of a human rights organization.
Nimroz has five districts of which three are completely under the control of the Taliban.
UNI RN PS1315