Underlining the need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable, members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) have condemned the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) for conducting the "deplorable attacks" near the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Thursday.
Significantly, the UNSC did not hold the Taliban, which had taken over Kabul on August 15, directly or indirectly responsible for the incident. The document steered clear of political issues, including the recognition of the Taliban government, as well as on the deadlines of evacuation from Afghanistan.
The suicide attacks carried out by ISKP, an entity affiliated with Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh), resulted in the death and injuries of dozens of civilians, including children, and military personnel.
The UNSC has urged all states, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with all relevant authorities and bring the people behind the attacks to justice.
The Council also reiterated the importance of combating terrorism in Afghanistan to ensure the territory is not be used to threaten or attack any country, and that no Afghan group or individual should support terrorists operating on the territory of any country.
"The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. Deliberately targeting civilians and personnel assisting in the evacuation of civilians is especially abhorrent and must be condemned," a UNSC statement said Friday.
They reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed. The UNSC also reaffirmed the need for all states to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other obligations under international law, including international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.
The Security Council members also voiced their support to the work of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). They emphasized the importance of the safety and security of United Nations personnel as well as of diplomatic and consular personnel of United Nations Member States, and called on all relevant parties to respect and facilitate the safe evacuation of civilians.
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