QASED Non-government Research Organization
Issue No: 52
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 May 1 – 7, 2020. Overall, 225 people have been killed and 207 others have been wounded across the country this week.
According to the report’s figures, the total death toll due to the ongoing war in the country this week was lower than last week. 530 people were killed or injured across the country last week, but a total of 432 people have been killed or injured this week.
The death toll among Afghan forces this week was lower than last week. The deadliest incidents for Afghan forces took place in Helmand and Balkh provinces, where at least 24 security personnel were killed and 33 others wounded in attacks by insurgents.
Civilian casualties have also dropped significantly since last week. The deadliest civilian casualties’ incident occurred in Laghman province, where a mine blast killed three civilians and injured four others.
On the other hand, the death toll among the government’s armed opposition is also lower than it was last week. The Taliban suffered heavy casualties in Ghor, Faryab, Balkh, Farah and Badakhshan provinces. ISIS militants also suffered casualties this 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
May 1:
13 security personnel were killed and 20 others were injured in a clash between Afghan forces and Taliban in Zari district of Balkh province.
Taliban militants attacked an Afghan forces outpost in Nachin area of Uruzgan province, killing three security forces and wounding three others.
Four security personnel were killed and five others were injured in a clash between Afghan forces and Taliban in Baraki Barak district of Logar province.
A Territorial Army soldier was killed and three others were wounded in a clash between Afghan forces and Taliban in Panjwai district of Kandahar province.
Taliban militants attacked an Afghan security forces outpost in Nawahamish district of Daikundi province, killing one soldier and wounding three others.
May 2:
Two Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers have been killed in a clash between Afghan forces and Taliban fighters in Bati-Kot district of Nangarhar province.
A policeman was killed and another was injured in a mine blast at a shop in the 12th police district of Kandahar city.
A policeman was killed and another was wounded in an attack by unknown gunmen in the 12th police district of Herat city.
May 3:
In a clash between local police and Taliban fighters in Anzargi Kando area of Dand Patan district in Paktia province, two local policemen were killed and three others were wounded.
Three local policemen have been killed in a clash with Taliban fighters in Parchman district of Farah province.
In Faryab province, a local policeman first shot and killed his commander and two of his colleagues, then he was also killed and nine others were wounded.
An unknown gunman shot and killed two National Directorate of Security (NDS) personnel in Ghorian district of Herat province.
May 4:
A car bomb has exploded near an Afghan National Army (ANA) base in Greshk district of Helmand province, killing 11 soldiers and wounding 13 others.
Unknown gunmen shot and killed a female police officer in Kandahar city.
13 Afghan soldiers have been killed in a clash between Afghan forces and Taliban fighters in Khashrod district of Nimroz province.
May 5:
Two policemen were injured in a roadside bomb blast on DABS employees in Parwan province.
In Nad Ali district of Helmand province, two policemen were killed in a roadside bomb blast and another was shot dead by Taliban.
May 6:
In an armed attack on the district chief of Ahmadabad district in Salamkhel area of Paktia province, one of his bodyguards was killed and another injured.
Unknown gunmen shot and killed a security official in Lashkar Gah of Helmand province.
Three Afghan soldiers have been killed in a roadside bomb blast in Chak district of Wardak province.
May 7:
A roadside bomb blast in Nadir Shah Kot district of Khost province has killed the police chief of the province and two other policemen and wounded two others.
Three policemen were injured in a roadside bomb blast in Ahmad Shah Baba area of Kabul’s 12th police district.
In Nijrab district of Kapisa province, Taliban fighters attacked Afghan security checkpoints, killing a policeman and wounding two others.
Table-1: Afghan Forces’ Casualties
|
Name |
Killed | Injured | Total Killed and Injured |
| ANA | 14 | 16 |
30 |
|
Police |
60 | 55 | 115 |
| Total | 74 | 71 |
145 |
Anti-government Armed Militants’ Casualties
May 1:
Three Taliban fighters have been killed in an airstrike in Sadu Khan Qala area of Shinkai district in Zabul province.
15 Taliban fighters were killed and ten others wounded in a clash between Afghan forces and Taliban in Baraki Barak district of Logar province.
A mine planter was killed and two others were injured in their own bomb blast in Sanma area of Ferozkoh city of Ghor province.
Five Taliban fighters were killed and six others wounded in an attack by Afghan forces in Karandi area of Kandahar’s Panjwai district.
Nine Taliban fighters were killed and four others wounded in an airstrike by Afghan forces in Khanabad district of Kunduz province.
May 2:
Three Taliban fighters have been killed in a clash between Afghan forces and Taliban fighters in Bati-Kot district of Nangarhar province.
18 Taliban fighters have been killed in an airstrike in Qalat district of Zabul province.
May 3:
12 Taliban fighters were killed and 13 others wounded in a clash between Afghan forces and Taliban fighters in Parchman district of Farah province.
Six Taliban fighters were killed and ten others wounded in an attack by Afghan forces in Keran Wa Manjan district of Badakhshan province.
Eight Taliban fighters were killed and seven others wounded in a clash between Afghan forces and Taliban fighters in Yangi area of Qaisar district of Faryab province.
Two Taliban fighters were killed and seven others wounded in a clash between local police and Taliban militants in Anzargi Kando area of Paktia’s Dand Patan district.
May 4:
17 Taliban fighters have been killed and ten others wounded in a clash between Afghan forces and Taliban fighters in Paktika province.
Four Taliban fighters were killed and 12 others wounded in a clash between Afghan forces and Taliban fighters in Baharak district of Takhar province.
May 5:
Nine Taliban fighters were killed and seven others wounded in a clash between Afghan forces and Taliban fighters in Yaftal Bala area of Faizabad city in Badakhshan province.
A Taliban militant has been killed in an airstrike in Kishanda district of Balkh province.
Ten Taliban fighters were killed and ten others wounded in an airstrike by Afghan forces in Chak district of Maidan Wardak province.
Five ISIS militant have been killed in a special operation by National Directorate of Security (NDS) Forces in Kuchkan area of Shakar Dara district of Kabul province.
Ten Taliban fighters were killed and six others wounded in Loy-Manda area of Nad-Ali district of Helmand province.
A Taliban militant was killed in an airstrike on a mosque in Baraki Barak district of Logar province.
May 6:
Four Taliban fighters were killed and another wounded in an attack by Afghan forces in Shah Walikot district of Kandahar province.
Table-2: Casualties of the Anti-government Armed Militants
|
Name |
Killed | Injured | Total Killed and Injured |
| Taliban | 138 | 95 |
233 |
|
ISIS |
5 | – | 5 |
| Total | 143 | 95 |
238 |
Civilian Casualties
May 2:
A bomb blast near the prison in Mehtarlam, the capital of Laghman province, has killed three civilians and injured four others.
May 3:
The admin chief of Afghanistan’s Supreme Court has been killed in an attack by unknown gunmen.
A grenade blast at a mosque in Mohammad Hassan area of Khair Kot district in Paktika province has injured 20 civilians.
May 4:
Two explosions took place in Chamtala area of 17th police district of Kabul city, injured four employees of DABS.
A woman was killed and a woman and two children were injured in an attack by Afghan forces in Zewach area of Ghazni province.
May 5:
The deputy director of DABS was killed and two others were injured in a roadside bomb blast in Parwan province.
May 6:
The district chief of Ahmadabad district was attacked by gunmen in Salamkhel area of Paktia province, injuring him.
A civilian was killed when an Afghan forces’ outpost in Andar area of Nerkh district in Maidan Wardak province opened fire on civilians.
May 7:
In Mehtarlam city of Laghman province, unknown gunmen opened fire on worshipers, killing one civilian and wounding another.
Six civilians were wounded in a firing incident by ANA forces in Dasht-e-Shahda area of Faizabad of Badakhshan province.
Table-3: Civilian Casualties
|
Name |
Killed | Injured | Total Killed and Injured |
| Civilians | 8 | 41 |
49 |
|
Total |
8 | 41 |
49 |
Conclusion and Analysis of the Week
The report shows that all over the country, 432 people have been killed or injured (225 of them were killed and 207 wounded) from 1 – 7 May 2020.
The overall death toll in this week is lower than it was last week. The casualties’ figures of Afghan forces in this week show a decrease compared to last week. 97 Afghan security personnel were killed last week, but a total of 74 Afghan soldiers were killed this week. The death toll among the anti-government armed militants has also dropped compared to last week. 165 militants were killed last week, but 143 have been killed this week. Civilian casualties are also several times lower than last week. The number of civilians killed last week was 41, but this week the number has dropped to eight (Table-4).
Although the number of civilian casualties this week was several times lower than it was in the previous week, civilians are the primary victims of the ongoing war. The Pentagon said in a statement that 108 civilians were killed and 75 others were injured in attacks by US forces in Afghanistan in 2019. This is the first time that US forces have released such a report on Afghan civilians casualties in their attacks in Afghanistan. The publication of this report shows that the US government is trying to build the mindset of Americans about ending the war in Afghanistan.
On the other hand, the spokesman for the Ministry of Interior (MoI) said at a press conference last week that 387 civilians had been killed and 590 others wounded in attacks by Taliban in the past three months. Taliban denied the Interior Ministry’s claim, saying in a report that 311 civilians, including women and children, had been killed and 205 others injured in attacks by US and Afghan forces in the first three months of 2020. In the recent weeks, Afghan government security agencies have been regularly reporting on civilian casualties by Taliban. Analysts believe that the effort is aimed at putting international pressure on Taliban to show that the group is not committed to the US-Taliban peace agreement signed in Qatar.
Meanwhile, the US Special Envoy for Afghan Peace, Zalmai Khalilzad, traveled to Qatar this week to meet with Mullah Baradar, Taliban’s political deputy and the head of Qatar’s office, to discuss the release of prisoners and the beginning of the intra-Afghan talks. So far, 1,000 Taliban fighters have been released by the Afghan government. Last week, Sohail Shaheen, the spokesman for Taliban’s Qatar office, said in a tweet that 300 of their prisoners had been released in three days and that they welcome the move.
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 and to deal with this historical opportunity for peace in Afghanistan responsibly.
Table-4: Total casualties of war and security incidents
|
Name |
Killed | Name | Wounded |
| Afghan Forces | 74 | Afghan Forces |
71 |
|
Anti-government Militants |
143 | Anti-government Militants | 95 |
| Civilians | 8 | Civilians |
41 |
|
Foreign Forces |
– | Foreign Forces | – |
| Total | 225 | Total |
207 |
|
Total Casualties 432 |
|||
The end
