QASED Non-government Research Organization
(Issue No: 41)
Note: You can download the PDF format of the report from here.
Preface
This report covers the casualties of the ongoing war, which occurred in different areas of the country during February 14 -20, 2020. Overall, 304 people has been affected by war, 211 have been killed and 93 have been wounded.
According to the report’s statistics, this week the total death toll due to the ongoing war in the country has dropped compared. Last week, 387 people were killed or wounded across the country, but this week, 304 people were killed or wounded.
The death toll among the government forces has increased compared to last week. The deadliest casualties of Afghan forces have been reported in Kunduz and Kapisa provinces, where at least 29 security forces have been killed and eight others wounded in attacks by armed insurgents.
Civilian casualties also show a decline compared to last week. The deadliest civilian casualties were in Nangarhar, Kunduz and Herat provinces, where at least 30 civilians were killed.
On the other hand, the death toll of the government’s armed opposition has declined compared to last week.
You would read in this report the details of casualties of the Afghan government forces, anti-government armed militants, Afghan civilians, and foreign forces as well as analysis of the most important security incidents and the security situation in the country in last part.
Afghan Forces’ Casualties
February 14:
Six local policemen have been killed in an attack by an armed Taliban militant in Imam Sahib district of Kunduz province.
February 15:
An army helicopter helicopter crashed in Khashrod district of Nimroz province, killing one ANA soldier.
February 16:
In the armed clashes between Afghan forces and armed Taliban in Faryab province, three security forces have been killed and five others injured.
14 ANA soldiers were killed and three others were injured in an armed attack by Taliban militants in Sah Darak area of Shorakhak district of Kunduz province.
A policeman was killed and two others were injured in a Taliban attack in Nawa district of Helmand province.
Two policemen were killed in an attack by unidentified gunman in Dand district of Kandahar province.
February 17:
Four policemen were injured in an armed clash between Afghan forces and armed Taliban in Ali Khel and Seh Dek areas of Kunduz province.
Armed Taliban shot dead a local policeman in Pashtunkot district of Faryab province.
A national security soldier and a policeman have been abducted and then killed by armed Taliban in Mardian district of Jawzjan province.
Taliban militants attacked the center of Almar district in Faryab province, killing one local policeman and injuring another policeman.
February 18:
Nine local policemen have been killed in an armed Taliban attack in Afghan valley of Nijrab district of Kapisa province.
Gunmen attacked a police post in Aqtash area of Sar-e-Pul province, killing three policemen and wounding four others.
February 19:
A senator’s brother and two guards have been killed in an attack by unknown militants in Jalalabad city of Nangarhar province.
Table-1: Afghan Forces’ Casualties
|
Name |
Killed | Injured | Total Killed and Injured |
| ANA | 14 | 4 |
18 |
|
Police |
30 | 16 |
46 |
|
Total |
44 | 30 |
64 |
Anti-government Armed Militants’ Casualties
February 14:
Five Taliban militants were killed and eight others were injured in an armed clash between Afghan forces and armed Taliban in Maiwand district of Kandahar province.
Eight Taliban militants, including a Taliban commander, were killed and three others wounded in an airstrike in Balkh province.
February 15:
Seven Taliban militants were killed and three others were injured in an airstrike in Musom area of Baharak district of Takhar province.
Two militants were killed in an attack by Afghan commandos in Sabari and Alisher districts of Khost province.
Security forces in Adraskan and Gulran districts of Herat province have killed three Taliban militants and injured two others.
February 16:
Two militants were killed and another wounded in attacks by Afghan forces in Khakrez and Maiwand districts of Kandahar province.
Three armed Taliban were killed in an armed clash between Afghan forces and armed Taliban in Sherzad district of Nangarhar province.
In Bahark district of Takhar province, an Afghan army airstrike killed five armed insurgents and wounded four others.
Two armed Taliban were killed in an attack by Afghan forces in Baghlan central district of Baghlan province.
In a special operation of Afghan police in Shortepa and Daulatabad districts of Balkh province, 34 armed Taliban were killed and 28 others were injured.
February 17:
In an armed clash between Afghan forces and armed Taliban in Ali Khel and Saha Dek areas of Kunduz province, four armed Taliban were killed and five others were injured.
An armed clash between Afghan forces and armed Taliban in Faryab province has killed at two militants and wounded six others.
A Taliban militant was killed and two others were injured in an attack by Afghan forces in Raztala area of Dehraud district of Uruzgan province.
February 18:
Two Taliban militants were killed in an attack by Afghan forces in Jarkhushk area of Maiwand district of Kandahar province.
12 armed Taliban killed in an attack by Afghan forces in Momandara district of Nangarhar province.
Three Taliban militants have been killed in attacks by Afghan forces in Nawzad, Washer and Sangin districts of Helmand province.
Four armed Taliban including a commander were killed in an armed clash between Afghan forces and armed Taliban in Sancharak district of Sar-e-Pul province.
Six ISIS militants have been killed in an attack by Afghan forces in Zuki and Tarang districts of Kunar province.
February 19:
Two armed Taliban were killed in an airstrike in Zarwan village of Sangin district of Helmand province.
A Taliban militant was killed and three others were injured in a special operation by Afghan commandos in Nahr-e-Saraj and Nawa districts of Helmand province.
February 20:
Eight Taliban fighters were killed in an airstrike by foreign troops in Makyan area of Takht-e-Pul district of Kandahar province.
12 Taliban militants have been killed in an attack by foreign troops in Khakrez district of southern Kandahar province.
In Bahark district of Badakhshan province, an armed Taliban commander was killed in an attack by Afghan forces.
Table 2: Casualties of the Anti-government Armed Militants
|
Name |
Killed | Injured | Total Killed and Injured |
| Taliban | 124 | 65 |
189 |
|
ISIS |
7 | 11 | 18 |
| Total | 163 | 60 |
223 |
Civilian Casualties
February 14:
Nine civilians, including a child, were killed in an air strike by foreign troops in Sera Road district of Nangarhar province.
February 17:
A woman was killed and five children were injured in a roadside mine blast in Qala Zardak area of Muqur district of Badghis province.
An unidentified motorcyclist has killed in an attack the head of Injil district court in Shaidai area of Herat city.
A civilian was killed and another was injured in an armed clash between Afghan forces and armed Taliban in Faryab province.
Nine civilians, including a child, have been killed in a mortar shell attack on a house in Kunduz city.
Armed men entered a civilian house in Sayad district of Sar-e-Pul province, where they attacked Afghan forces from that house, killing a 10-year-old child and injuring two other civilians.
In Ahmad Shah Baba area of Kabul city’s 12th district, a money exchanger was killed in an attack by unknown gunmen.
February 18:
11 civilians were killed in a drone strike in Kishk Rabat Sangi district of Herat province.
February 19:
A brother of a senator and two guards were killed during an attack by unidentified gunman in Jalalabad city of Nangarhar province.
February 20:
A retired policeman was killed in a mine blast in front of his home in the city of Lashkar Gah of Helmand province.
An employee of attorney general’s office was killed in an attack by an unidentified gunman in the fifth security district of Kabul city.
Table 3: Civilian Casualties
|
Name |
Killed | Injured | Total Killed and Injured |
| Civilians | 37 | 8 |
45 |
|
Total |
37 | 8 |
45 |
Conclusion and Analysis of the Week
The report shows that all over the country, 304 people have been killed and injured (211 of them were killed and 93 wounded) from 14 – 20 February 2020.
The overall death toll has dropped this week; however, the death toll of Afghan forces has shown a slight increase this week compared to last week. 35 Afghan security forces were killed last week; however, this week the level has risen to reach 44 Afghan security forces been killed. The death toll from the government’s armed opposition has dropped compared to last week. Last week, 163 anti government militants were killed, yet this week the number is 130. Civilian casualties also show a slight decline compared to last week. The death toll among civilian last week was 42, but this week the number has dropped to 37.
Over the past few weeks, civilians have consistently been killed in night operations of Afghan and foreign forces and attacks by drones. Civilians have been killed in bloody airstrikes in Kunduz, Nangarhar and Herat provinces once again this week. The most traumatic incident occurred in the Sra-Road district of Nangarhar province on February 14, 2020 where nine civilians, including children, were riding in a civilian car, targeted and killed by US forces.
Last week, three civilians were killed in a US drone strike in Daimirdoad district of Wardak province. In response to the incident, a number of tribal elders from Maidan Wardak province during a press conference called on the government and the international community to stop their bloody bombing brutal targeting of civilians. They emphasized that Afghan and foreign forces were targeting civilians in late night operations and airstrikes yet considered them as militant Taliban fighters, something that is not acceptable by other people.
Over the past few months, President Ghani has repeatedly promised to prevent civilian casualties; however, that promise has never been implemented, and incidents like this are happening all over the country, causing gaps between the government and the general public. In this regard, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) also said in a statement that in the last month alone, 136 civilians were killed, many of whom were killed in attacks by Afghan and foreign forces.
The civilian casualties come at a time when talks between the United States and the Taliban have ended, agreeing to reduce violence on the battlefield for a week. This period of reduction in violence is expected to begin next week and continue until the end of February. After that period, the peace agreement between the United States and Taliban will be signed in the presence of international parties in Qatar, and will also facilitate intra-Afghan dialogue.
On the other hand, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) this week announced the results of the election after several months of delay, leading to President Ashraf Ghani being elected president of the country for the second time; yet it was rejected by Dr. Abdullah, presidential candidate, and he threatened to form a parallel government. With this, the political climate of the country appears to be strained, and there are also concerns that intra-Afghan dialogue after negotiations with the United States will cast a negative shadow.
Qased Strategic Research Center as a war casualties’ monitoring organization in the country emphasizes that the ongoing bloodshed and bloody situation in the country is possible to stop only through the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan and peace with the Taliban. Therefore, we call on international and Afghan stakeholders to focus on peace efforts, rather than focusing on the battlefield.
Table 4: Total casualties of war and security incidents
|
Name |
Killed | Name | Wounded |
| Afghan Forces | 44 | Afghan Forces |
20 |
|
Anti-government Militants |
130 | Anti-government Militants | 65 |
| Civilians | 37 | Civilians |
8 |
|
Foreign Forces |
– | Foreign Forces | – |
| Total | 211 | Total |
93 |
|
Total Casualties 304 |
|||
The end
