UN warns of deadlier phase in Afghanistan

UNITED NATIONS－Afghanistan is at a dangerous turning point as the war enters a new phase, said Deborah Lyons, the UN secretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan.

"Ahead lies either a genuine peace negotiation or a tragically intertwined set of crises: an increasingly brutal conflict combined with an acute humanitarian situation and multiplying human rights abuses," Lyons told the Security Council in a briefing on Friday.

In recent weeks, the war in Afghanistan has entered a deadlier and more destructive phase. The Taliban campaign over June and July to capture rural areas has achieved significant territorial gains. From this strengthened position, they have begun to attack large cities, Lyons said.

Intensified clashes

In the latest development, Taliban militants overran major parts of Sari Pul city, the capital of northern Sari Pul Province, on Sunday. This is the second provincial capital after Shiberghan, the capital of Nimroz Province, to fall to the Taliban over the past three days, a local official said.

"Major parts of Sari Pul city have fallen to the Taliban militants today morning and fighting has been continuing between government forces and Taliban fighters," the official told Xinhua News Agency.

The militants have also gained ground in the strategically important city of Kunduz on the border with Tajikistan amid efforts by government forces to beat them back, a local official said on Sunday.

In the city, the capital of Kunduz Province in the north, 10 civilians died and 42 people with injuries were admitted to a government-run provincial hospital following the clashes early on Saturday, said Ehsanullah Fazli, the director of Kunduz Public Health Directorate.

In the northern province of Badakhshan, dozens of Taliban militants were killed or injured in an attack on the capital, Faizabad, that was repulsed by the army, the military said in statement on Sunday.

"Taliban rebels attacked Faizabad city from four directions at 8 pm local time on Saturday, but faced stiff resistance and fled after leaving 35 bodies behind and 25 others injured," the statement said.

A few more militants were arrested in the gunbattle that lasted several hours, the statement added.

Taliban militants were yet to comment on the situation in Faizabad.

Lyons called on the Security Council to work to prevent Afghanistan from descending into a situation of catastrophe "so serious that it would have few, if any, parallels in this century".

She added: "And let me assure you, such a catastrophe would have consequences far beyond the borders of Afghanistan. I do believe that the Security Council and the broader international community can help prevent the most dire scenarios. But it will require acting in unity and acting quickly."

Xinhua - Agencies