The leadership of the International Committee of the Red Cross hopes to resume the activities of the organization in Afghanistan as soon as possible as they have been halted following threats by the Taliban.

The ICRC announced on April 13 they have stopped their activities in Afghanistan as they have been threatened by the Taliban.  

Taliban in a statement on April 12 announced that the ICRC and World Health Organization (WHO) cannot operate in the areas under their influence until further notice. The group said the two organizations have not put into practice the commitments they made to the group.

The Deputy Head of ICRC Operation, Christophe Gravend, told TOLOnews on Friday that despite peace efforts, the level of harm to civilians remains high due to the conflict. 

He said they readjusted many activities after the Taliban’s threats. 

Mr. Gravend added that the activities which have been halted include visits detention places, facilitating phone calls between detainees and their families, evacuating wounded people outside urban centers, and many more activities. 

But he said they are eager to resume their activities as soon as possible. 

“One of the main points of the new release that we made is that not only are we concerned that the civilians are continuing to suffer a lot from this conflict. Despite that the talks… Civilians are still paying a very high price because of the conflict,” Mr. Gravend said. 

He said that threats to health and humanitarian workers further worsen the harm to civilians. 

“We are very worried to see that this level of suffering is very high but this consequence, this impact on humanitarian workers and on health workers is actually on the rise in 2019 and this a source of deep concern of course,” Mr. Gravend added. 

On August 12, ICRC said in a report that the ongoing peace talks have not diminished the intensity of violence in Afghanistan and its impact on civilians as the civilian casualties remained high.

The report said that the air bombardments, night raids, and attacks conducted in both rural and populated areas result in the killing and maiming of women, men, and children who had no part in the fighting.

The ICRC called on all parties to the conflict that the medical workers, too, must be protected and respected by all sides.

A Taliban spokesman told TOLOnews that the ICRC should share the issue with political office of the group (in Doha).