This archive report was first published on 31 July 2019.
On July 31, 2019, a devastating attack occurred in western Afghanistan when a passenger bus hit a roadside bomb, killing at least 28 civilians and injuring 10 others.
The victims were mainly women and children, according to Muhibullah Muhib, the spokesman for Farah province. 'A passenger bus travelling on the Kandahar-Herat highway hit a Taliban roadside bomb. So far at least 28 killed, 10 wounded,' Muhib said.
Farooq Barakzai, a spokesman for Farah's governor, confirmed the toll and warned that it may rise. The attack came just one day after the United Nations reported a 'shocking' level of civilian casualties in Afghanistan's war.
According to the UN, 1,366 civilians were killed and another 2,446 injured in the first half of 2019, a 27 percent drop from the same period last year. However, the UN branded efforts to reduce the violence 'insufficient' and noted that US and pro-government forces caused more civilian deaths than the Taliban and other insurgent groups.
The attack highlights the ongoing bloodshed in Afghanistan, which has been plagued by conflict for nearly 18 years. A US-led push to forge a peace deal with the Taliban is underway, with the goal of seeing foreign forces quit the country in return for various security guarantees.
