The Afghan War Conitnues Even During The Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic

VOX: The coronavirus pandemic hasn’t stopped the war in Afghanistan

“This is wrong, and it needs to stop. Especially now.”

The Taliban in Afghanistan signed a peace agreement with the United States on February 29 and stopped attacking American forces there.

But there’s no peace agreement between the Taliban and the Afghan government — which means fighting between the two has continued unabated, even amid the coronavirus pandemic.

On March 20, Taliban fighters attacked an outpost in Zabul province and killed at least 24 Afghan soldiers, which caused outrage across the country. One day later, an Afghan government airstrike in Kunduz province killed 13 civilians, including 10 children. Two weeks ago, Afghan troops killed or wounded at least nine Taliban insurgents in Jawzjan province.

“This is wrong, and it needs to stop. Especially now,” said Dr. Sayed Shah, a medic from Afghanistan’s Baghlan province. Shah’s concerns are shared by many Afghans who are frustrated that the Taliban and the Afghan National Army are continuing to fight while the coronavirus spreads across the country.

As of April 15, Afghanistan has reported 784 Covid-19 cases and 26 deaths, but observers and medics on the ground believe the real number of infections could be much higher. A majority of the infected people are from Herat province, which shares a border with Iran, a country that has been hit heavily by the pandemic.

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WNU Editor: The Taliban are saying they are doing their part to combat the Covid-19 pandemic .... Taliban launches campaign to help Afghanistan fight coronavirus (Al Jazeera). But this is just PR. In the meantime the war continues .... Taliban reject Ghani’s ceasefire call despite looming coronavirus crisis (Arab News).