UNITED NATIONS, Sept 2 (APP): Five years after the United States withdrew its forces from Afghanistan, the country’s war victims continue to live with deep physical, emotional and financial wounds, according to a new United Nations report.
Afghanistan has suffered more than four decades of armed conflict, leaving behind widespread death, displacement and destruction. Between 2009 and 2021, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) recorded more than 40,000 civilian deaths and over 77,000 injuries as fighting continued between government and coalition forces, the Taliban and other armed groups.unama.
The report, based on interviews with 195 victims and their relatives, examines the conflict up to the Taliban takeover in August 2021. It found that 95 per cent of those interviewed had suffered psychological harm, including depression, anxiety, memory loss and frightening flashbacks. Nearly 60 per cent had also suffered physical injuries, many of which continue to cause pain and disability years later.unama.
For many survivors, injuries ended their education or careers and pushed their families deeper into poverty. Some relatives had to leave work or school to care for them. Widows face particular hardship because restrictions imposed by the Taliban authorities have limited women’s access to employment.
The report said 55 per cent of victims had never sought compensation or justice, often because they feared retaliation or believed their complaints would be ignored. Among those who tried, 64 per cent said their efforts failed because of bureaucracy, discrimination, silence from authorities and a lack of transparency.
Victims most often called for financial compensation, justice and guarantees of personal safety. UNAMA official Georgette Gagnon said Afghanistan’s recovery must begin by recognising the suffering of victims and placing their rights and voices at the centre of national efforts.
